Eastern Red Bat

Eastern Red Bat

Lasiurus borealis

Silhouette: CJ Campbell · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Philadelphia

In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%

34 Verified sightings at Philadelphia
38 In all 2 parks From 2019 to 2026
March 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 Philadelphia?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Eastern Red Bat sighting in Philadelphia on a given day, based on 34 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 13th most-seen of the 19 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.

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

February–May, August–September and November–December

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Eastern Red Bat in Philadelphia on a given day, against under 5% in January, June–July and October, the lowest months.

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 Philadelphia the best place to see an Eastern Red Bat?

Among the best

Of the 8 cities where we can rate Eastern Red Bat sightings, Philadelphia ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Baltimore (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 Philadelphia (34 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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