The canyon bat is the smallest bat in the United States and, unusually for a bat, one you have a real chance of seeing. Open occurrence databases hold 798 records for it in Arizona, and 198 of those are iNaturalist photos, a far larger share than its secretive relatives manage, because this tiny bat takes wing while there is still light in the sky.
An early flier of canyon country
Once called the western pipistrelle, the canyon bat weighs only a few grams and flutters on slow, moth-like wingbeats over desert washes, canyon mouths, and rocky slopes. It emerges well before full dark and lingers after dawn, so hikers and photographers actually catch it on the wing. It roosts in rock crevices and cliffs across the state, and its records spread widely, from Pima and Cochise counties in the south to Coconino County and the Grand Canyon in the north.
Common and widely recorded
Sightings build through the warmer months and taper in winter as the bat drops into torpor within its crevices. Unlike the vulnerable myotis it shares the desert with, the canyon bat is ranked S5, secure, in Arizona. Its early-evening habits make it one of the few small bats the public regularly manages to document.
Common questions
Why is such a small bat so often photographed? Because it flies early. Catching the last daylight, the canyon bat is out and visible when most other bats are still roosting, so people see and photograph it far more than its size would suggest.
Full species profile
