Silver-Haired Bat

(Lasionycteris noctivagans)

The silver-haired bats (Lasionycteris noctivagans) are found over a native range including northeastern Mexico, throughout most of the United States, Canada, and even parts of Alaska. They are a hearty animal that is able to handle a lot of different types of conditions. They are normally solitary animals but will come together for their yearly mating and migration in the fall.

The silver-haired bat mates in the fall and the females do not ovulate until the spring when there is plentiful food for them. They prefer to live in woodland roosting areas like tree hollows, caves, loose bark, and buildings, and forage for insects along streams, ponds, and small clearings. Their main food sources include average insects like flies, beetles, moths, and dragonflies, but they are considered generalists. These insectivores are also opportunistic and will even feed on insect larvae they find on trees and the ground.

These bats are black or blackish-brown with silver to white tips, which is how they get their name. Their bellies are lighter in color and not as frosted as their backs. From nose to tail, they can reach lengths of 3 ½ to 4 ½ inches in length. They are the only member within the Lasionycteris genus.

Other Bat Species Of Michigan

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