Range
This bat roosts among the branches of both deciduous and coniferous trees throughout the state and likes to feed around permanent outdoor lights. It migrates north to Oregon in the spring and returns south for the winter.
Description
It is the largest bat in Oregon, with a wingspan of nearly 16 inches, with its body averaging between 4.5 and 6 inches in length and weighing about 1 ounce. The body has dark fur tipped with white.
Diet and habitat
It feeds on flying insects such as flies, moths, mosquitoes, beetles and dragonflies. Foraging activities usually occur over water and brushy areas along forest edges of middle-aged to older stands where nesting and roosting sites are available. It can be found foraging in riparian, mixed conifer, lodgepole pine, ponderosa pine, aspen, white oak or mixed conifer-hardwood forests.
Predators and threats
The hoary bat is preyed upon by hawks, owls, weasels and snakes. It is threatened by habitat loss and degradation, especially of roosting and nursery sites.
Reproduction
It mates in the fall with delayed fertilization until spring, when it usually produces two young per litter.