Barbastella barbastellus
Silhouette: C. Robiller / Naturlichter.de · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The western barbastelle (Barbastella barbastellus), also known as the barbastelle or barbastelle bat, is a European bat in the genus Barbastella. This species is found from Portugal to Azerbaijan and from Sweden to Canary Islands, where a sub-species was identified. It has a short nose, small eyes and wide ears. The conservation status of B. barbastellus is assessed as "near threatened", "vulnerable", "critically endangered" or "extinct" in various parts of its range.
The western barbastelle was described as a new species in 1774 by Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber, who placed it in the genus Vespertilio, with a species name of Vespertilio barbastellus. The holotype had been collected in Burgundy, France. In 1836 it was placed in the genus Barbastellus, and the first use of its current name combination of Barbastella barbastellus was in 1897 by Gerrit Smith Miller Jr. The name Barbastella barbastellus might be coming from the Latin barba (beard) and stella (star). Viewed from the side, it seems that the upper lip has a beard, or a moustache.
Two subspecies are recognized by Mammal Species of the World (2005): Barbastella barbastellus barbastellus: distributed... Wikipedia →
Recording0:14
Spain · 2025
© Pablo de la Fuente Brun · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:21
Germany · 2020
© Jiri van der Drift · Observation.org, Nature data from around the World · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 2 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wilhelma | 🇩🇪 Germany |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Western Barbastelle sighting in Pyrénées National Park on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 28th most-seen of the 30 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.
August and October
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Western Barbastelle in Pyrénées National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September and November–July, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Western Barbastelle sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Western Barbastelle sightings, Pyrénées National Park ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Cévennes National Park (France, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Western Barbastelle is recorded against all the mammals logged in Pyrénées National Park (7 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
