What do bats eat?
Bats are the most significant predators of night-flying insects. There are at least 40 different kinds of bats in the U.S. that eat nothing but insects. A single little brown bat, which has a body no bigger than an adult human’s thumb, can eat 4 to 8 grams (the weight of about a grape or two) of insects each night. Although this may not sound like much, it adds up—the loss of the one million bats in the Northeast has probably resulted in between 660 and 1320 metric tons of insects no longer being eaten each year by bats.
Bats locate each insect by echolocation, then they trap it with their wing or tail membranes and reach down to take the insect into their mouth. This action, as well as the chase, results in the erratic flight most people are familiar with when they observe bats feeding in the late evening or around lights at night.
Other species of bats eat many different things, including fruit, nectar, and pollen. Bats are important pollinators as they fly from plant to plant in search of food. In the southwestern deserts of North America, bats are the key pollinators of saguaro and organ pipe cactus. Tequila is made from the agave plant, which is pollinated by bats.
Learn more at our North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) website.
Related Content
Where do bats live?
Why are bats important?
Are bats dangerous?
Do vampire bats really exist?
Are bats blind?
How are bats affected by wind turbines?
What species of bats are affected by White-nose Syndrome?
What should I do if I find dead or dying bats, or if I observe bats with signs of White-nose Syndrome?
What is White-nose Syndrome?
Assessing the risks posed by SARS-CoV-2 in and via North American bats—Decision framing and rapid risk assessment
The novel β-coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, may pose a threat to North American bat populations if bats are exposed to the virus through interaction with humans, if the virus can subsequently infect bats and be transmitted among them, and if the virus causes morbidity or mortality in bats. Further, if SARS-CoV-2 became established in bat populations, it...
Runge, Michael C.; Campbell Grant, Evan H.; Coleman, Jeremy T. H.; Reichard, Jonathan D.; Gibbs, Samantha E. J.; Cryan, Paul M.; Olival, Kevin J.; Walsh, Daniel P.; Blehert, David S.; Hopkins, M. Camille; Sleeman, Jonathan M.
U.S. Geological Survey science in support of the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat)
Bats make up one-fifth of all mammalian species worldwide and are found on every continent except Antarctica. They contribute to overall ecosystem health by suppressing pest insects and pollinating plants and spreading seeds. Eight North American bat species are listed as federally endangered or threatened, and more than one-half are of current...
Reichert, Brian E.; Soileau, Suzanna C.
A guide to processing bat acoustic data for the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat)
The North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) aims to improve the state of conservation science for all species of bats shared by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. To accomplish this goal, NABat offers guidance and standardized protocols for acoustic monitoring of bats. In this document, “A Guide to Processing Bat Acoustic Data for the...
Reichert, Brian E.; Lausen, Cori; Loeb, Susan; Weller, Ted; Allen, Ryan; Britzke, Eric; Hohoff, Tara; Siemers, Jeremy; Burkholder, Braden; Herzog, Carl; Verant, Michelle
U.S. Geological Survey—Energy and wildlife research annual report for 2017
IntroductionTerrestrial and aquatic ecosystems provide valuable services to humans and are a source of clean water, energy, raw materials, and productive soils. The Nation’s food supply is more secure because of wildlife. For example, native pollinators enhance agricultural crops, and insect-eating bats provide pest control services worth billions...
Khalil, Mona
White-nose syndrome in North American bats - U.S. Geological Survey updates
White-nose syndrome is a devastating wildlife disease that has killed millions of hibernating bats. This disease first appeared in New York during 2007 and has continued to spread at an alarming rate from the northeastern to the central United States and throughout eastern Canada. The disease is named for the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans,...
Lankau, Emily W.; Moede Rogall, Gail
Mortality monitoring design for utility-scale solar power facilities
IntroductionSolar power represents an important and rapidly expanding component of the renewable energy portfolio of the United States (Lovich and Ennen, 2011; Hernandez and others, 2014). Understanding the impacts of renewable energy development on wildlife is a priority for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) in compliance with Department...
Huso, Manuela M.; Dietsch, Thomas; Nicolai, Chris
Preliminary methodology to assess the national and regional impact of U.S. wind energy development on birds and bats
The U.S. Geological Survey has developed a methodology to assess the impacts of wind energy development on wildlife; it is a probabilistic, quantitative assessment methodology that can communicate to decision makers and the public the magnitude of these effects on species populations. The methodology is currently applicable to birds and bats,...
Diffendorfer, James E.; Beston, Julie A.; Merrill, Matthew D.; Stanton, J.C.; Corum, M.D.; Loss, Scott R.; Thogmartin, Wayne E.; Johnson, Douglas H.; Erickson, Richard A.; Heist, Kevin W.
It’s Pollinator Week!
Pollinators in the form of bees, birds, butterflies, bats and beetles provide vital but often invisible services, from supporting terrestrial wildlife and plant communities, to supporting healthy watersheds.
A Deadly Double Punch: Together, Turbines and Disease Jeopardize Endangered Bats
Bats Worth Billions to Agriculture: Pest-control Services at Risk
Pest-control services provided by insect-eating bats in the United States likely save the U.S. agricultural industry at least $3 billion a year, and yet insectivorous bats are among the most overlooked economically important, non-domesticated animals in North America, according to an analysis published in this week’s Science magazine Policy Forum.
PubTalk 09/2019 — Bats in the West
Title: Bats in the West: Discoveries, Questions, and Future Research
By Gabriel A. Reyes, USGS Biologist
- Learn about bat ecology, diversity, and the role they play in our ecosystem.
- See how scientists are using a variety of methods including capture, acoustic monitoring, and tracking, to learn more about local bat species.
- Find out how
Pallid bat with transmitter
A Pallid bat (Antrozous pallidus) is outfitted with a radio transmitter to help lead us to its roost. The transmitter is attached with a temporary adhesive that will wear off within around 2 weeks, about as long as the battery life of the transmitter lasts. By following the bat USGS researchers will be able to learn what habitat types are important for this species,
...
Southeastern Bat with P. destructans Fungus
This southeastern bat (Myotis austroriparius) from Alabama shows signs of infection from the Pseudogymnoascus destructans fungus that causes white-nose syndrome in bats. The USGS National Wildlife Health Center later confirmed white-nose syndrome in this animal, marking the first time that WNS was found in a southeastern bat. As of June 2017, the species joins eight other
...
Hibernating little brown bat
A little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus) with white-nose syndrome hibernating in a Virginia cave during late spring of 2016. Patches of the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome can be seen growing out of the skin (white areas) near the nose and across the folded wing skin of this bat. Spherical drops of water condensation coat the bat's outer fur, a
...
Western red bat release
Like most wild animals, bats often don't appreciate being handled for research purposes. However when holding bats after handling and examination, they often appreciate the warmth and need a little push to go. This Western red bat (Lasiurus blossevillii) was captured during USGS WERC research to learn more about the ecology, distribution, and movement patterns of
...
Little brown bat with white-nose syndrome
Little brown bat with white-nose syndrome
Dissected bat guano pellet showing antennae, eyes, and body parts
Dissected guano pellet showing antennae, eyes, and body fragments of midges.
Mosquito, carrier of the Encephalitis virus
Examples of Insect fragments from bat guano
Examples of Insect fragments belonging to ground beetles, water boatmen, click beetles, weevils, scarabs, and adult antlions identified from various dissected guano pellets of different studies.
Allen's big-eared bat (Idionycteris phyllotis), an insectivore.
Allen's big-eared bat (Idionycteris phyllotis), an insectivore known from the southwestern United States.
