Eastern Red Bat

Eastern Red Bat

Lasiurus borealis

Silhouette: CJ Campbell · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Austin

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%

5 Verified sightings at Austin
38 In all 2 parks From 2019 to 2026
January Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Eastern Red Bat

The eastern red bat (Lasiurus borealis) is a species of microbat in the family Vespertilionidae. Eastern red bats are widespread across eastern North America, with additional records in Bermuda. It was described in 1776 by German zoologist Philipp Ludwig Statius Müller. He initially placed it in the genus Vespertilio, with the name Vespertilio borealis. It was not placed into its current genus Lasiurus until the creation of the genus in 1831 by John Edward Gray. The generic name "Lasiurus" is derived from the Greek lasios ("hairy") and oura ("tail"); its species name "borealis" is Latin in origin, meaning "northern." Of the species in its genus, the eastern red bat is most closely related to other red bats, with which they form a monophyly. Its closest relatives are the Pfeiffer's red bat (Lasiurus pfeifferi), Seminole bat (L. seminolus), cinnamon red bat (L. varius), desert red bat (L. blossevillii), saline red bat (L. salinae), and the greater red bat (L. atratus).

The eastern red bat has distinctive fur, with males being brick or rusty red, and females being a slightly more frosted shade of red. Both male and female eastern red bats... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Recording0:16

United States · 2021

© Ty Smith · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~20%
2 Great Smoky Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Baltimore 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
2 Philadelphia 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
3 Chicago 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
4 New York City 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
5 Dallas 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
6 Washington 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
7 Boston 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
8 Austin 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Ralph Perkins II Wildlife Center and Woods Garden 🇺🇸 United States In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing an Eastern Red Bat in Austin?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Eastern Red Bat sighting in Austin on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 20th most-seen of the 23 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see an Eastern Red Bat in Austin?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Eastern Red Bat in Austin on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see an Eastern Red Bat?

Between 9 am and noon

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Eastern Red Bat sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Austin the best place to see an Eastern Red Bat?

8th of 8

Of the 8 cities where we can rate Eastern Red Bat sightings, Austin ranks 8th at under 5%. The best odds are in Baltimore (United States, about 10%), Philadelphia (United States, about 10%) and Chicago (United States, about 10%).

Where does the Eastern Red Bat sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Eastern Red Bat is recorded against all the mammals logged in Austin (5 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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