BC Conservation Data Centre: Species Summary
Myotis volans
Long-legged Myotis
| Scientific Name: | Myotis volans (H. Allen, 1866) | ||||||||||
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| English Name: | Long-legged Myotis | ||||||||||
| Classification / Taxonomy | |||||||||||
| Scientific Name - Concept Reference: | Wilson, D. E., and D. M. Reeder (editors). 1993. Mammal species of the world: a taxonomic and geographic reference. Second edition. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC. xviii + 1206 pp. Available online at: http://www.nmnh.si.edu/msw/. | ||||||||||
| Classification Level: | Species | ||||||||||
| Species Group: | Vertebrate Animal | ||||||||||
| Species Code: | M-MYVO | ||||||||||
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| Conservation Status / Legal Designation | |||||||||||
| Global Status: | G4G5 (Apr 2016) | ||||||||||
| Provincial Status: | S4? (Mar 2022) | ||||||||||
| BC List: | Yellow | ||||||||||
| Provincial FRPA list: | |||||||||||
| Provincial Wildlife Act: | |||||||||||
| COSEWIC Status: | |||||||||||
| SARA Schedule: | |||||||||||
| General Status Canada: | 4 - Secure (2005) | ||||||||||
| Ecology & Life History | |||||||||||
| General Description: | |||||||||||
| Global Reproduction Comments: | In New Mexico, copulation was noted to begin in late August, with sperm stored overwinter until ovulation in March-May; parturition occurs in May-August (Black 1974). Births occur probably in June or early July in Texas (Schmidly 1991, Ammerman et al. 2012). Litter size: 1. Life span of 21 years has been recorded in the wild (Warner and Czaplewski 1984). Nursery colonies may include up to several hundred individuals. | ||||||||||
| Global Ecology Comments: | In many areas this Myotis may be the most abundant species; it is the common Myotis in the western U.S. | ||||||||||
| Migration Characteristics: (Global / Provincial) | |||||||||||
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Nonmigrant: Local Migrant: Distant Migrant: Within Borders Migrant: |
Y / Y / N / na / |
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| Global Migration Comments: | Adults and young leave the maternity colonies in fall but nothing is known of their subsequent movements (Barbour and Davis 1969). The species is present in Texas from late March-October and apparently migrates elsehwere for winter (Ammerman et al. 2012). In Idaho, summer home ranges averaged several hundred hectares (Johnson et al. 2007). In Oregon-Washington, summer roosts averaged 2 kilometers from capture sites, and individuals moved an average of 1.4 kilomters between successive roosts (Baker and Lacki 2006). |
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| Habitats: (Type / Subtype / Dependence) |
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| Global Habitat Comments: | These bats occur primarily in mountainous areas wooded with coniferous trees, but also may be found in riparian and desert (Baja California) habitats. They may change habitats seasonally. Hibernacula are in caves and mines, but winter habits are poorly known. Warm-season daytime roosts are in tree hollows or under loose bark, in crevices among rocks or in cliffs, or in buildings, but apparently not in caves or mines (these may be used at night) (Barbour and Davis 1969, Chung-MacCoubrey 1996, Vonhof and Barclay 1996, Rabe et al. 1998, Baker and Lacki 2006); roost-site changes are frequent (Ormesbee 1996, Baker and Lacki 2006). In Washington-Oregon, large snags were important roosts, but bats sometimes roosted in rock crevices (Baker and Lacki 2006). In Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, snags used as roosts by M. volans usually last only a few years before falling (Lacki et al. 2006). In the Pacific Northwest, M. volans selected snags for roosting based on stand- and landscape-scale characteristics, with significant factors varying among different regions (Lacki et al. 2010). | ||||||||||
| Food Habits: |
Invertivore: Adult, Immature
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| Global Food Habits Comments: | These bats feed primarily on moths but also consume a wide variety of other invertebrates, such as beetles, flies, leafhoppers, and others (Black 1974, Warner and Czaplewski 1984, Warner 1985, Johnson et al. 2007). They may follow prey for relatively long distances around, through, or over the forest canopy, in forest clearings, and over water. In New Mexico, they forage primarily in open areas (Black 1974). | ||||||||||
| Global Phenology: |
Hibernates/aestivates: Adult, Immature
Nocturnal: Adult, Immature |
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| Global Phenology Comments: | Winter habits are poorly known, but individuals hibernate at least in portions of the northern part of the range. These bats may be active throughout most of the night. Peak activity occurs during the first 3-4 hours after sunset (Warner and Czaplewski 1984). | ||||||||||
| Provincial Phenology: (1st half of month/ 2nd half of month) |
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| Colonial Breeder: | Y | ||||||||||
| Length(cm)/width(cm)/Weight(g): | 10/ / | ||||||||||
| Elevation (m) (min / max): |
Global:
Provincial: |
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| Distribution | |||||||||||
| Endemic: | N | ||||||||||
| Global Range Comment: | Range includes western North America from southwestern Alaska, British Columbia, and Alberta south to Baja California and central Mexico (Jalisco, Veracruz, Nuevo Leon) (Warner and Czaplewski 1984, Simmons, in Wilson and Reeder 2005). This species occurs throughout the western United States from the Pacific coast to western North Dakota and extreme western Texas (Barbour and Davis 1969, Warner and Czaplewski 1984, Adams 2003, Reid 2006). Elevational range minimally extends from 60 to 3,770 meters, but most occurrences are between 1,800 and 3,000 meters (Warner and Czaplewski 1984, Reid 2006). | ||||||||||
| Authors / Contributors | |||||||||||
| Global Information Author: | Hammerson, G. | ||||||||||
| Last Updated: | Apr 02, 2015 | ||||||||||
| Provincial Information Author: | |||||||||||
| Last Updated: | |||||||||||
| References and Related Literature | |||||||||||
Banfield, A. W. F. 1974. The mammals of Canada. University of Toronto Press, Toronto, Canada. 438 pp. |
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Barbour, R. W., and W. H. Davis. 1969. Bats of America. The University of Kentucky Press, Lexington, Kentucky. 286 pp. |
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Barclay, R.M., and R.M. Brigham, eds. 1996. Bats and Forests Symposium. B.C. Minist. For. Res. Program, Working Pap. No. 23. 292pp. |
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Black, H. L. 1974. A north temperate bat community: structure and prey populations. J. Mamm. 55:138-157. |
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Jones, J. K., Jr., R. S. Hoffman, D. W. Rice, C. Jones, R. J. Baker, and M. D. Engstrom. 1992a. Revised checklist of North American mammals north of Mexico, 1991. Occasional Papers, The Museum, Texas Tech University, 146:1-23. |
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Schmidly, D. J. 1977. The mammals of Trans-Pecos Texas including Big Bend National Park and Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Texas A & M University Press, College Station. |
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Schmidly, D. J. 1991. The bats of Texas. Texas A & M University Press, College Station, Texas. 188 pp. |
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van Zyll de Jong, C.G. 1985. Handbook of Canadian Mammals. Vol. II, Bats. National Museum of Natural Sciences, National Museums of Canada, Ottawa, Canada. 212 pp. |
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Vonhof, M. J., and R.M.R. Barclay. 1996. Roost-site selection and roosting ecology of forest-dwelling bats in southern British Columbia. Canadian Journal of Zoology 74:1797-1805. |
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Warner, R. M., and N. J. Czaplewski. 1984. Myotis volans. Mammalian Species 224:1-4. |
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Wilson, D. E., and D. M. Reeder (editors). 1993. Mammal species of the world: a taxonomic and geographic reference. Second edition. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC. xviii + 1206 pp. Available online at: http://www.nmnh.si.edu/msw/. |
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Please visit the website Conservation Status Ranks for definitions of the data fields used in this summary report.
Suggested Citation:
B.C. Conservation Data Centre. 2015. Species Summary: Myotis volans. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed Oct 3, 2026).