Scientific Name: Lasiurus cinereus

Classification: Mammal, Order Chiroptera

Conservation Status:

• Species of Greatest Conservation Need-Tier 4a on the Virginia Wildlife Action Plan

Habitat: The hoary bat is a tree bat that utilizes tree roosts during both summer and winter. It can be found in coniferous forests, often near cleared areas. The hoary bat typically migrates from its northern range in the fall and winters in extreme southeastern and southwestern areas of North America south through Mexico and Guatemala.

Diet: Moths make up the main portion of this bat’s diet. Other foods include stinkbugs, wasps, leaf and June bugs, dragonflies, grasshoppers, and flies. Because of its size, the hoary bat has been known to attack smaller bats like the tri-colored bat.

Distribution: The hoary bat has the largest distribution of all North American bats, but is considered uncommon throughout its range. Until recently, records for the hoary bat in Virginia were only from the spring and fall migration period. Recent captures confirm the species is breeding in Virginia.