California mammals

Canyon Bat in California

Parastrellus hesperus

Native to California SNR Unranked in California

Not listed as nonindigenous in California by USGS NAS; native to its California range.

IUCN Red List status

  1. LC
  2. NT
  3. VU
  4. EN
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX

LC – Least Concern

Widespread and abundant; not at risk.

Canyon bat clinging to weathered tree barkCanyon bat flying in daylight against blue skyCanyon bat roosting on a textured wallCanyon bat roosting on a wooden doorway
Photo: Mauricio Calderón · CC-BYCanyon bat clinging to weathered tree barkPhoto: Bob Miller · CC-BYCanyon bat flying in daylight against blue skyPhoto: William Harmon · CC-BYCanyon bat roosting on a textured wallPhoto: Sula Vanderplank · CC-BYCanyon bat roosting on a wooden doorway

Canyon Bat in California, by the numbers

Occasional in California 96th most recorded of 241 mammals logged in California

1,688 occurrence records
296 with iNaturalist photos

Records from 2000–2026.

1,688 total records count every California occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 300; the monthly chart covers the 1,618 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Canyon Bat in California

Most sightings fall in June to August.

1,618 California occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) by month of year, 2000–2026. Shows when the species is recorded, not a guarantee of presence.

Monthly California records (table)
MonthRecords
January16
February24
March115
April121
May174
June322
July354
August252
September155
October54
November21
December10

Monthly canyon bat occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in California, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in California, with recorded sightings peaking in June–August.

Occurrence map

Where Canyon Bat has been recorded in California

300 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

300 California records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Joshua Tree National Park 68
Death Valley National Park 63
Mojave National Preserve 56
Santa Rosa And San Jacinto National Monument 17
Inyo Mountains Wilderness Area 15
Eagle Lake Field Station 12
Angeles National Forest 11
Indian Pass Wilderness Area 7

Protected places with the most canyon bat sightings, from the USGS Protected Areas Database plus named mountain ranges, good spots to look, not a full breakdown, so they don't sum to the total.

Where it's recorded in California

CountyRecords
San Bernardino County 379
San Diego County 272
Inyo County 230
Riverside County 161
Los Angeles County 143
Kern County 92
Imperial County 70
San Benito County 44
Tulare County 25
Santa Barbara County 24
Contra Costa County 19
Ventura County 16
26 other counties 213

The complete county distribution, spread across 38 California counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Canyon Bat records in California fit dry scrub, rocky canyons, and sandy or gravelly ground.

Reports center on the Mojave and Colorado deserts, including Death Valley and the Joshua Tree region. They show where people have documented the species, and they don’t rank California’s best habitat.

Reports rise most clearly in Jul–Sep. That pattern can reflect animal movements, weather, and observer effort, so it isn’t a population count.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

Canyon bat clinging to weathered tree bark
Full species profile Canyon Bat Parastrellus hesperus Size 6.2–8 cm2.4–3.1 in Weight 3–6 g0.1–0.2 oz Lifespan Up to 6.1 yr View the full profile

More mammals in California in the atlas

Data & sources

The data and visualizations on this page draw on these open sources:

  • GBIFCC-BY 4.0occurrence records behind the range map, elevation, and record counts
  • iNaturalistCC0 / CC-BY / CC-BY-SAobservations, photos, and audio recordings
  • NatureServe ExplorerCC-BYthe state conservation rank
  • IUCN Red Listattributed factthe global conservation status
  • USGS NASpublic domainnative / introduced status
  • Natural Earthpublic domainthe relief basemap
  • USFSpublic domainnational-forest boundaries
  • USGS Protected Areas Databasepublic domainthe named parks, forests, and refuges behind "notable places to look"