Bats in Idaho

There are 14 bat species native to Idaho. The largest of these bats is the Big Brown Bat, with a wingspan between 13 and 16 inches, while the smallest is the Canyon Bat, with its wingspan ranging between 7.5 and 8.5 inches.

Different Types of Bats in Idaho

Vesper Bats (Vespertilionidae)

• Big Brown Bat
• California Myotis
• Canyon Bat
• Fringed Myotis
• Hoary Bat
• Little Brown Bat
• Long-eared Myotis
• Long-legged Myotis
• Pallid Bat
• Silver-haired Bat
• Spotted Bat
• Townsend’s Big-eared Bat
• Western Small-footed Myotis
• Yuma Myotis

Places To Go Bat Watching in Idaho

Harriman State Park is the best place to see Little Brown Bats in Idaho. It started as a railroad ranch in the 1900s, with Little Brown Bats beginning to congregate soon after its construction. After initial attempts to remove them from the site, eventually, it was understood that the bats were beneficial to the surroundings as they acted as pest control and kept the insect population – most notably mosquitoes – down. Since then, they have continued to migrate to the park annually. They arrive around mid-to-late May to the same roosting places they used before, where the mothers rear their offspring that come in June. Enthusiasts can see these bats leaving their homes at dusk en masse when they hunt for food.

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