Bat of the day 25 October (Bat week) – Brown long-eared bat

Brown long-eared bat

Brown long-eared bat (Plecotus auritus Linnaeus, 1758)

A small bat, the width of the wings is 24-28 cm. Specific characteristic of this species is langth of ears that is almost equal to the length of the body, that’s why all our employees and volunteers like it so much.

In the summer, this bats live in the caves of trees and hibernate in abandoned mines, rocky cliffs and basements of buildings. The species is widespread in the area, but not numerous, because it doesn’t form large colonies. The features of echolocation and high maneuverability allow the Brown long-eared bat to collect larvae of insects and sleeping butterflies directly from the ground. This feature allows the representatives of this species to be active almost before the first cold (the beginning of November) and to leave the winter asylum first – already in the middle of March.

Tere are very few individuals of this bats for rehabilitation in Kharkiv: in the winter of 2017-2018, we are taking care of only 1 bat from Karlivka (Poltava region).

Brown long-eared bat, like other bat species in Ukraine, is included in the Red Data Book.

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