GAP Analysis Predicted Distribution Map

Hoary Bat (Lasiurus cinereus)

Species Code: LACI

Legend: = Core Habitat = Marginal Habitat Breeding Range Map The green area shows the predicted habitats for breeding only. The habitats were identified using 1991 satellite imagery, other datasets and experts throughout the state, as part of the Washington Gap Analysis Project. Click to enlarge distribution map Map with historical museum records Other maps & Information: NatureMapping observations throughout the year

The Hoary Bat occurs throughout the state in wooded areas but rarely at higher elevations. It occurs in the Columbia Basin if trees are available and sometimes in arid steppe during migration. Many of the records of this bat are from migrating individuals in spring and fall, but it also occurs here during summer and (rarely) during hibernation. There is evidently a geographic separation of Hoary Bats during the breeding season and no breeding females have been found in Washington.

These bats roost almost entirely in trees and are dependent on their presence, but they forage in open areas, fields, and around urban lights. Unlike other Washington bats, the Hoary Bat tends to fly in a straight line rather than fluttering like a butterfly. It is a fast flier that pursues relatively large insects such as moths and beetles. Its size and flight pattern make it one of the few bats that can be somewhat reliably identified in flight.

All low to mid-elevation forested zones and all steppe zones were core. In all forest and steppe zones, forests and water/wetlands were good habitats. Non-forested habitat and agricultural habitats in forested zones, were good and low-density development was adequate.

The Hoary Bat is an example of a species that tends to feed in habitats(non-forested cover and over agricultural fields) different from those it requires for roosts (forests).

Translated from the Washington Gap Analysis Mammal Volume by Dave Lester
Webpage designed by Dave Lester