Hoary Bat

Hoary Bat

Aeorestes cinereus

Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Los Angeles

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

22 Verified sightings at Los Angeles
January Best month
☀️🌙 Day & Night When it's spotted

About the Hoary Bat

The hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus) is a species of bat in the vesper bat family, Vespertilionidae. It lives throughout most of North America (and possibly also in Hawaii, although this is disputed). The hoary bat was described as a new species in 1796 by Palisot de Beauvois. Mammalogist Harrison Allen was the first to use its current name combination of Lasiurus cinereus, doing so in 1864. In a later publication, Allen placed it in the now-defunct genus Atalapha, with a scientific name of Atalpha cinerea.

The South American hoary bat (L. villosissimus), which is found throughout South America, and the Hawaiian hoary bat (L. semotus), which is endemic to Hawaii, were both previously classified under the hoary bat, but phylogenetic evidence supports them being distinct species.

Some have argued to elevate the subgenus (Aeorestes) to a genus level classification for L. cinereus. However, this has not been accepted by taxonomic authorities... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Echolocation0:07

United States · 2026

© John Rommereim · XC1100677 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability

More parks will be added in future updates.

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Mexico City 🇲🇽 México
<5%
2 Austin 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
3 Los Angeles 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
4 Chicago 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
5 New York City 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
6 San Francisco 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Hoary Bat in Los Angeles?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Hoary Bat sighting in Los Angeles on a given day, based on 22 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 22nd most-seen of the 33 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 a Hoary Bat in Los Angeles?

Any time of year

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

What time of day is best to see a Hoary Bat?

Between 8 and 11 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Hoary Bat sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.

Is Los Angeles the best place to see a Hoary Bat?

Among the best

Of the 6 cities where we can rate Hoary Bat sightings, Los Angeles ranks 3rd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Mexico City (México, under 5%) and Austin (United States, under 5%).

Where does the Hoary Bat sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Hoary Bat is recorded against all the mammals logged in Los Angeles (22 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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