INTRODUCTION TO BAT
IDENTIFICATION
South Yorkshire bats
UK = 17 species
South Yorkshire = 9-10 species
 Small common bats of edge habitats
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Noctule
common and soprano pipistrelles
Big bats of open habitats
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Common pipistrelle
noctule + Leisler’s bats
Woodland bats
Brown long-eared bat
brown long-eared bats, Natterer’s bats,
whiskered bat, Brandt’s bat
Daubenton’s bat
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Water bats
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Daubenton’s bat
Basics of Bat Call ID
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Often difficult to identify bats to species level using
a bat detector
Best to record calls and identify them through
examination of the sonogram and measurement of
call parameters
Sonogram:
 Time
on x axis
 frequency on y axis
Taken from Russ (2012)
Basics of Bat Call ID
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For HSM project will use call parameters provided
in ‘British bat calls: a guide to species identification’
during manual call ID
Basics of Bat Call ID
Basics of Bat Call ID
Small common bats of edge habitats:
common pipistrelle
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Common pipistrelle
Common in urban areas
 Generalist species
 Lives in new and old houses
 Common pipistrelles appear fast and jerky in
flight and change direction frequently as they
dodge pursuing small insects which are caught
and eaten in flight
 when a bat detector is tuned in to the peak
frequency (deepest pitch) the calls sound "wet"
and "slappy"
 ‘Reversed hockey stick’ call with a peak frequency
between 41-49kHz
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Small common bats of edge habitats:
soprano pipistrelle
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Soprano pipistrelle
Associated with water
 Lives in buidings and trees
 Soprano pipistrelles appear fast and jerky
in flight and change direction frequently as
persue small insects which are caught and
eaten in flight
 when a bat detector is tuned in to the peak
frequency (deepest pitch) the calls sound
"wet" and "slappy"
 ‘Reversed hockey stick’ call with a peak
frequency between 50-64.1kHz
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Big bats of open habitats: noctule
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Noctule
Largest British bat, emerges early
 Can fly up to 50 km/h
 Primarily tree rooster
 Characteristic powerful, direct flight on narrow pointed
wings
 In open habitats produces a two part "chip-chop" call: the
"chip" has a peak frequency of around 24 kHz, the "chop"
has a peak frequency of around 19 kHz
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Leisler’s bat
Big bats of open habitats: Leisler’s bat
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Leisler’s bat
Very scattered distribution
 Roosts in buildings and trees
 Similar to noctule
 With long narrow wings, in flight Leisler's
bats look similar to noctules, but are slightly
smaller
 Like noctules usually fly high and fast in the
open, with shallow dives (noctules tend to
make steeper dives)
 in fairly open habitats produces a two part
"chip-chop" call: the chip has a peak
frequency of around 27 kHz, the chop has a
peak frequency of around 23 kHz

Woodland bats: brown long-eared
bats

Brown long-eared bat
Known as the ‘whispering bat’
 Roosts in trees and old buildings
 Hunts partially through passive hearing
 Lucky to hear on a bat detector despite
being a common bat, need to be within
about 5 m
 Frequency modulated calls usually consisting
of two harmonics. Peak frequency around 33
kHZ
 Calls sound like a light purring
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Woodland bats: Natterer’s bat
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Natterer’s bat
Roosts in trees and old buildings
 Feeds largely by gleaning
 Emerges late
 Normally fly at heights of less than 5 metres, but
occasionally may reach 15 metres in the tree
canopy
 With all Myotis bats if you tune down to 35 kHz,
below common pipistrelle peak frequecy get dry
clicks
 Quiet and quick, extremely broadband call on
average 22.8-106.8 kHz, though can range from
15.1 - 145.3 kHz
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Woodland bats: whiskered and Brandt’s bat

Whiskered and Brandt’s bat
Very similar species
 Feed on rides and woodland edge
 Brandt’s more associated with wet habitats
 Whiskered bats have fast and fluttering flight, to
a height of 6 metres, generally level with
occasional swoops.
 Frequently fly along a regular "beat" over or
alongside a hedgerow or woodland edge
(whereas Brandt's bats more often fly within
woodland)
 Produces typically frequency modulated pulses
starting at around 85 kHz and ending around
32kHz, irregular pulses compared to Daubenton’s
bat
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Water bats
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Daubenton’s bat
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Hunts low over water and employs trawling to
catch insects
Roosts in trees and bridges
Forms large summer roosts
Can be easily seen on River Don
Heard as a series of rapid clicks on detector
Pulses fast and regular
Produces frequency modulated sweeps starting
around 85 kHz and ending at about 25kHz
often with slight kinks or bend at 40kHz
Often ‘missing frequencies’ in calls emitted over
water
Bats we may find in South Yorkshire
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Nathusius’ pipistrelle
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Alcathoe bat
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Associated with water
Migratory and bigger than common/soprano
Peak frequency between 35.5-41.9
Similar to whiskered/Brandts
Associated with woodland and water
End frequency rarely drops below 40kHZ
Lesser horseshoe bat
Maybe not for several decades
 Instantly recognisable from echolocation
call
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Any
questions?