Natterer’s Bat is a medium-sized bat that is light brown on the upper surface and white below. The bat has a pink, largely hairless face and fairly long forward pointing ears that cannot be folded under the wing (see also Brown Long-eared Bat). This species is one of the last to emerge at night, often not flying until it is quite dark. Roosts may be in buildings, trees and bat boxes. Hibernation and mating sites are mainly in underground sites such as caves, mines and tunnels. The distribution map shows more records than for Whiskered and Brandt’s bats, but is still likely to under-represent its true status. Since bat surveys in connection with planning applications have become routine, the number of known Natterer’s bat roosts has increased. Many of these are in disused stone barns where both Natterer’s and Brown Long-eared bats are frequently found. When Natterer’s Bats emerge from these places they can be quite difficult to spot as they tend to find a dark corner from where they drop close to ground level before flying off. The frequency range of Natterer’s Bat calls is very large, often extending from 120kHz to 20kHz.
