Bats in Sussex

There are 18 species of bat in the UK, all of which have been recorded in Sussex. Some are resident in Sussex, while others turn up occasionally or at certain times of the year.

Common Name	Latin Name	Status in Sussex	Status in UK
Barbastelle	Barbastella barbastellus	Very rare, widespread	Very rare, widespread E/W
Serotine	Eptesicus serotinus	Uncommon, widespread	Uncommon, widespread, southern E
Alcathoe whiskered bat	Myotis alcathoe	Very rare – hardly known	Only recently recognised in UK
Bechstein’s	Myotis bechsteinii	Very rare	Very rare, southern
Brandt’s	Myotis brandtii	Scarce, widespread	Widespread, scarce E/W
Daubenton’s	Myotis daubentonii	Fairly abundant, widespread	Widespread, fairly abundant
Greater mouse-eared	Myotis myotis	Very rare (currently only one individual)	Very rare (currently only one individual)
Whiskered	Myotis mystacinus	Scarce, widespread	Scarce, widespread, not S
Natterer’s	Myotis nattereri	Scarce, widespread	Scarce, widespread
Leisler’s	Nyctalus leisleri	Rarely recorded	Scarce but widespread to southern S
Noctule	Nyctalus noctula	Uncommon, widespread	Uncommon, widespread, not S
Nathusius’s pipistrelle	Pipistrellus nathusii	Scarce, widespread	Scarce, widespread, includes migrants
Common pipistrelle	Pipistrellus pipistrellus	Abundant, widespread	Widespread, abundant
Soprano pipistrelle	Pipistrellus pygmaeus	Fairly common, widespread	Fairly common, widespread
Brown long-eared	Plecotus auritus	Relatively abundant, widespread	Widespread, relatively abundant
Grey long-eared	Plecotus austriacus	Rare, south coast areas	Rare, mainly southern coastal areas
Greater horseshoe	Rhinolophus ferrumequinum	Very rare	Very rare, in SW (E, W)
Lesser horseshoe	Rhinolophus hipposideros	One record	Rare, mainly SW E and W

E = England W = Wales S = Scotland

Three other bat species have been recorded in Sussex as migrants or vagrants: Savi’s pipistrelle (Hypsugo savii), Kuhl's pipistrelle (Pipistrellus kuhlii) and parti-coloured bat (Vespertilio murinus).
Information sheets on each of the species can be found on the Bat Conservation Trust website

Bats are the only mammals capable of true flight. Those found in the UK feed exclusively on insects and use a sophisticated form of sonar to navigate and catch their prey at night. In late spring and summer, female bats form maternity colonies to raise their young. This is when they are most obvious to us, as they leave the roost at or after sunset in search of food.

Bats hibernate during the winter when insects are scarce, usually at a different site to the maternity roost where a constant cool temperature can be found i.e. in underground sites or within deep crevices in trees or buildings. Bats return to the same roost sites every year, so even if the animals themselves are not present, the roost is still legally protected.

Unfortunately there are many misconceptions about bats. They are in fact sociable, intelligent, clean animals that rarely come into contact with humans. They do not build nests and very rarely cause structural damage to buildings.

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