Pipistrellus pipistrellus
Silhouette: Margot Michaud · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The common pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus) is a small pipistrelle microbat whose very large range extends across most of Europe, North Africa, and central South Asia, and may extend into Korea. It is one of the most common bat species in the British Isles. In Europe, the northernmost confirmed records are from southern Finland near 60°N.
In 1999, the common pipistrelle was split into two species on the basis of different-frequency echolocation calls. The common pipistrelle uses a call of 45 kHz, while the soprano pipistrelle echolocates at 55 kHz. Since the two species were distinguished, a number of other differences in appearance, habitat, and food also have been discovered.
It was described as a new species in 1774 by German naturalist Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber, who initially placed it in the genus Vespertilio, calling it Vespertilio pipistrellus. In 1839, Keyserling and Blasius reclassified the species, naming it Vesperugo pipistrellus.
This classification stood until 1897, when Miller placed the species into the genus Pipistrellus, where it remains as Pipistrellus pipistrellus. Its species name "pipistrellus" is derived from the Italian... Wikipedia →
Recording0:10
Italy · 2023
© Stefano Doglio · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording1:06
United Kingdom · 2021
© olliedav · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:03
United Kingdom · 2023
© chris_sherlock · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ecrins National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 2 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 3 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Paris | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 4 | London | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom |
No species of the same family or order lives in Wadden Sea National Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other mammals.
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Common Pipistrelle sighting in Wadden Sea National Park on a given day, based on 18 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 17th most-seen of the 20 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June, August and November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Common Pipistrelle in Wadden Sea National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July, September–October and December–May, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common Pipistrelle sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
3rd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Common Pipistrelle sightings, Wadden Sea National Park ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Ecrins National Park (France, about 10%) and Cévennes National Park (France, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Common Pipistrelle is recorded against all the mammals logged in Wadden Sea National Park (18 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.
