• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
The Mammal Society

The Mammal Society

For Evidence Based Conservation

    • E-mail
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

 

  • Home
  • About
    • What We Do
    • News
    • Blog
    • Meet The Team
    • FAQs
    • Media Information & Press Releases
  • Science
    • Research
      • Are Britain’s wild animals eating plastics?
      • PROSIECT ADFER LYGOD DWY YNG NGHYMRU/ WATER VOLE RESEARCH PROJECT.
      • Harvest Mouse Project
      • Hedgehog hotspots
      • State of Nature 2019
      • Population Review 2018
      • Red List for Britain’s Mammals
      • Surveys and Projects
    • Publications
      • Mammal Review
      • Mammal Communications
      • Mammal News Magazine
      • Books and equipment
    • Ecostat
    • UK Mammal List
    • Students
  • Training
    • Courses
    • Events
  • Record Mammals
    • How To Record Mammals
    • Mammal Mapper
    • School Resources
    • Discover Mammals
    • County Mammal Recorders
  • Get Involved
    • Surveys and Projects
    • Local Groups
    • Mammal Photographer of the Year (MPOY)
    • The University Mammal Challenge (UMAC)
    • National Mammal Week
  • Support Us
    • Latest Appeal
    • Donations
    • Membership
    • Fundraise for us!
    • Leave a Legacy
    • Corporate Supporters
    • Books and equipment
    • Other Ways To Support Us
  • Join Us
  • Donate

Species – Soprano Pipistrelle Bat

Soprano Pipistrelle Bat – Pipistrellus

(C) Heather Campbell

pygmaeus

Taxon: Chiroptera

Bechstein’s Bat Red List Classification:
GB: Least Concern
England: Least Concern
Scotland: Least Concern
Wales: Least Concern
Global: Least Concern
 

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.

Primary Sidebar

Our New Clothing Range

Support our research and campaigns

Shop Today

Our Latest Appeal

Help Our Appeal

Monitoring Mammals with a Drop of Water

More News

Latest Tweets

Tweets by Mammal_Society

Get Our e-Bulletin

Includes the latest news and updates from Mammal Society!

Subscribe to our mailing list

* indicates required
cj-wildlife-logo

STAY IN THE KNOW
Subscribe to our mailing list and receive regular e-bulletin packed full of mammal news and ways you can get involved with mammal conservation

Subscribe to our mailing list

* indicates required
Slider

Footer

  • Contact Us
  • Vacancies
  • Position Statements
  • AGM, Reports and Accounts
  • Data Protection
  • Privacy Policy
  • GDPR Information
  • GDPR Opt In

Sponsors

cj-wildlife-logo

Copyright © 2021 The Mammal Society, Black Horse Cottage, 33 Milton Abbas, Blandford Forum, Dorset DT11 0BL .... Registered Company No. 1455136 Charity No. 278918
Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions
Design by Fingerprint Digital Media