Lasionycteris noctivagans
Silhouette: CJ Campbell · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The silver-haired bat (Lasionycteris noctivagans) is a solitary migratory species of vesper bat in the family Vespertilionidae and the only member of the genus Lasionycteris. The species name translates as night-wandering, referring to the nocturnal behavior of bats.
This medium-sized bat is predominantly black (including the wings, ears, interfemoral membrane, and fur) with white-tipped hairs. The basal upper half of its tail membrane is densely furred. This gives the bat a frosted appearance and its common namesake. This species has a flattened skull with a broad rostrum. This species weighs around 8–12 g, has a total length of ~100 mm, a tail length of 40 mm, and a forearm length of 37–44 mm.
Lasionycteris noctivagans is found in Bermuda, Canada, Mexico, and the United States. This forest inhabitant is known to occur from southeastern Alaska in summer to northeastern Mexico in winter and is found in arid habitats at low elevations during seasonal migrations. In Missouri, reproduction occurs in the northern dissected plains region, but reproductive females are believed to be absent from the southern Ozark highlands... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Calgary | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 8 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | National Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Mountainaire Avian Rescue Society | 🇨🇦 Canada |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Silver-haired Bat sighting in Chicago on a given day, based on 142 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 13th most-seen of the 26 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Silver-haired Bat in Chicago on a given day, against under 5% in February–April and June–July, the lowest months.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Silver-haired 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.
Yes
Of the 8 cities where we can rate Silver-haired Bat sightings, Chicago has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Baltimore (United States, under 5%) and Calgary (Canada, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Silver-haired Bat is recorded against all the mammals logged in Chicago (142 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.
