Silver-haired Bat Information

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Carolyn Weng has emailed more information about the bat she saw killed by a Merlin (see our previous posts, Tuesday, September 13: "Merlin and Bat - What Bat?").
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Here's more info about the Silver-haired Bat (the species the Merlin caught at MSP beach; pictures I sent). If you think website member might like info about research on the species, here's something from the Bird Studies Canada newsletter. Interesting comparison with small bird migration parameters.

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- Carolyn

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Silver-haired Bat migration - Canada to southern U.S.
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14 October 2011 – Researchers from the University of Western Ontario and Bird Studies Canada (BSC) recently published an article in the Journal of Animal Ecology on migratory stopovers in a long-distance migratory bat. Several species of bats fly south for the winter but little is known about their migrations. Silver-haired bats were captured during autumn migration along the north shore ofLake Erie at the Long Point Bird Observatory (LPBO) and affixed with radio transmitters in order to continuously track their movements throughout a broad stopover region (~ 800 km²). There was no obvious preference for daytime roost locations; rather it seemed a case of ‘home is where you hang your hat’. Upon continuing migration, about half of the bats departed to the south across the lake, while others followed the shoreline. Bats generally only stayed for one day (longer in bad weather). This was surprising given that many migrating birds stop at this site for days or weeks. Body condition of each individual was also assessed (fat and lean stores), and computer simulations suggested most bats had enough fuel to reach their winter destination in the southern United Stateswithout the need for extended refueling stopovers. The authors suggest the ability to use torpor, saving energy by lowering body temperature when inactive, may be key to the differences between the migration of bats and birds allowing bats to complete their migration at a fraction of the time and energy required for similar sized birds.

   The research team included Liam McGuire (PhD candidate, University of Western Ontario), Dr. Chris Guglielmo (University of Western Ontario), Stuart Mackenzie (LPBO Program Coordinator), and Dr. Phil Taylor (BSC Chair in Ornithology at Acadia University). To read a summary of the article, select this link. For more information or a copy of the article contact Stu Mackenzie at smackenzie@birdscanada.org.

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