SOPRANO PIPISTRELLE Pipiestrellus pygmaeus

 

Status: Native; Common

 

Habitats:  River/Pond; Woodland

 

Very similar to the Common pipstrelle, from which is was only recently separated and identified as a separate species.  This bat has a body length of 5 cm, and a wingspan of around 25 cm (10 inches).  The fur is light brown / ginger, and face generally pink, although there is much variation.

 

The Soprano pipistrelle is strongly associated with water, and feeds mostly along the margin of lakes and wooded rivers; evening surveys with an ultra-sonic bat detector will normally reveal its presence, echo-locating at a peak frequency of 55 KHz. 

 

In general this species has a northerly distribution within Britain, and is commonly found in South Yorkshire.

 

Although Soprano pipistrelles are known to roost within houses, it is not as common around human habitation as the very similar Common pipistrelle.  Where roosts do occur within buildings, they can comprise many individuals; particularly in Scotland, where roosts of over 1000 bats have been recorded.  Roosts of Soprano pipistrelles tend to be more sedentary than those of the Common pipistrelle, which readily move from house to house, even when they have babies.

 

This species readily makes use of bat boxes (link to page showing how to build a bat box), and may roost in cracks and holes in trees. 

 

Pipistrelles rarely enter the living space of houses, although baby bats (born in June or July) sometimes get confused when searching for their mothers, and may be found in unusual places.  This species does not pose a health risk to humans, and does not cause structural damage, for example to timbers or cables.

 

If you are concerned that you may have bats roosting within your property, works to these areas should only proceed with caution after an initial search has revealed that bats (and bat droppings) are absent.  If in doubt, contact the local bat group first.