MELBOURNE BAT REMOVAL COMPANY
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Evening Bat (Nycticeius humeralis)
These bats can be found as far north as the Great Lakes basin region, as far east as Virginia and North Carolina, as far west as eastern Texas, and as far south as Florida. The evening bat is a forest species and it is never found within cave habitats, unlike most bat species. These forest bats roost under loose bark, tree hollows, and in man-made structures like barns and attics. They are known to hunt over water sources and wetlands.
Color and Size
The evening bat has fur that is dark brown in color that covers its body except for their wings, ears, tails, and snouts. The furless areas of their bodies are black in color. Their length, including the tail, ranges from 4 ¾ inches to almost 6 inches and their wingspan can reach up to 11 inches. They reach weights of between 6 and 14 grams.
Diet and Behavior
The evening bat is an insectivore that feeds on beetles, flies, moths, and leafhoppers. The males of the species remain in the southern areas of their range while the females migrate north in the spring to birth their young and return south in the fall to mate and go into hibernation. The females have been recorded flying as much as 350 miles south of their northern birthing grounds.
They mate in the fall before they go into hibernation and they store the sperm until springtime when they migrate north to form small maternity colonies. They usually have litters of 2 pups, but litters of three can happen. The pups are usually fully independent by 6 weeks of age. Males and females, alike, are sexually mature by 10 months of age and they will breed once a year in the southern area of their distribution.