Leisler's Bat
Nyctalus leisleri
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Flies high and fast above the treetops — a smaller, darker cousin of the noctule.
A medium-large bat, closely related to the noctule but smaller and darker, with distinctive fur that is dark at the base and golden-brown at the tips, giving a lion-like mane around the shoulders. Leisler's bat is scarce in Britain — Ireland holds the European stronghold — and is thinly recorded in southern Scotland, hunting high over woodland, parkland and lit open ground.
Behaviour
Like the noctule it emerges early and flies high and fast in open air well above the canopy, dropping in steep dives after beetles and moths, and is often seen hunting around floodlights and street lighting where insects gather. It roosts mainly in tree holes and sometimes buildings, and echolocates at a low frequency of around 25 kHz that carries a long way to a detector.
When to see it
Quick facts
- Family
- Vesper bats (Vespertilionidae)
- Size
- Wingspan 26–34 cm · echolocates at around 25 kHz
- UK status
- Protected under UK and European law; scarce in Britain
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