Western Pipistrelle

Pipistrellus hesperus

Description: Body length of 2 3/8" to 3 3/8", wingspan about 8 1/2". Pale yellow to grayish brown above, paler below. Wings, face, ears and feet are black. This is the smallest bat found in the U.S.

Range: Can be found across much of western U.S. and down into Mexico.

Habitat: Lives in desert scrub, oak woodlands, river canyons. Roosts in rocky outcrops and crevices.

Diet: Small flies, moths, beetles, bugs, leafhoppers, mosquitoes, ants, wasps.

Behavior: One of the earliest bat risers, often comes out to forage in the late afternoon. Slow, erratic flier. Usually forms nursery colonies, bears one or two young in the late spring. In colder climates known to hibernate in caves or mines, or migrate south.