Soprano Pipistrelle Bat – Pipistrellus
pygmaeus
Taxon: Chiroptera
Habitat: All habitat types from grasslands to urban and suburban.
Description: Similar in appearance to other pipistrelles, with medium brown fur.
Size: One of the smallest British bat species.
Weight: 4-6g
Origin & Distribution: Native. Present across the UK and gaps in distribution often reflect survey effort. Found at high altitudes and highly urbanised areas.
Diet: Preys mainly on flies.
General Ecology: Summer roosts are mainly in buildings, including barns, churches, and domestic houses. Roost switching is common. Few winter roosts are known and have been found at underground sites and in buildings.
Breeding: Maternity colonies are often larger (several hundred individuals) and are noisy.
Conservation Status: Registered as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List in all countries in Great Britain and globally. Populations are likely to be negatively affected by collisions with vehicles and wind turbines, predation by cats, and changes to the structure and insulation of buildings. However, the protection of roosts helps to support populations.
Identification
Like other pipistrelle species, the soprano pipistrelle has a rounded tragus and short, blunt ears. Their fur has little variation between their dorsal and ventral side and is of medium brown colour. It various from the common pipistrelle bat by its smell, nostril shape, wind venation and echolocation call profile. They produce small droppings which may be confused with those of small Myotis bats.
Identification Definitions
- Dorsal: back, or upper side of an animal
- Tragus: piece of skin near the ear canal.
- Venation: structure or pattern of veins.
- Ventral: on or relating, to the animal’s underside.
Bat Detector
Range: 53-86 kHz
Most energy: 55 kHz
Average duration: 5.8 ms
Confusion Species
None. Can be distinguished from other pipistrelle bats by the peak frequency of their echolocation call.
