Big brown bats are among Nebraska’s most adaptable bats. They forage over rivers, ponds, woodland edges, and town streets, while buildings, tree cavities, bridges, and rock crevices provide roosts. Their ability to use structures helps explain records across both wooded eastern Nebraska and the open west.
Where to look
Watch over still water at Ponca State Park, along wooded river corridors, or around lights that attract large insects. Emergence begins near dusk. Visual identification alone is uncertain because several Nebraska bats overlap in size and flight style; acoustic recordings or close examination by experts are more reliable.
Nebraska sightings peak from June through September. The species remains in the state through winter but hibernates in protected sites, so it is rarely visible in cold weather.
Full species profile
