Mississippi mammals

Eastern Red Bat in Mississippi

Lasiurus borealis

Native to Mississippi S4 Apparently Secure in Mississippi

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

Eastern red bat roosting among green leaves, disguised as a dead leafEastern red bat in flight against blue skyEastern red bat roosting on a pine branchEastern red bat hanging under tree leavesEastern red bat tucked among white apple blossoms
Photo: NPS Photo · Public DomainEastern red bat roosting among green leaves, disguised as a dead leafPhoto: Chrissy McClarren and Andy Reago · CC0Eastern red bat in flight against blue skyPhoto: Christina Butler · CC BY 2.0Eastern red bat roosting on a pine branchPhoto: Summit Metro Parks · CC-BYEastern red bat hanging under tree leavesPhoto: Rev. Lee A. Payne, Jr. · CC-BYEastern red bat tucked among white apple blossoms

Eastern Red Bat in Mississippi, by the numbers

Common in Mississippi 17th most recorded of 74 mammals logged in Mississippi

166 occurrence records
110 with iNaturalist photos
May 16, 2026 Last seen in Mississippi

Records from 2000–2026.

166 total records count every Mississippi occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 158; the monthly chart covers the 153 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Eastern Red Bat in Mississippi

Most sightings fall in June to August.

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

Monthly Mississippi records (table)
MonthRecords
January1
February2
March8
April14
May17
June27
July31
August33
September11
October2
November4
December3

Monthly eastern red bat occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in Mississippi, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

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

Occurrence map

Where Eastern Red Bat has been recorded in Mississippi

158 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

158 Mississippi records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Holly Springs National Forest 11
Bienville National Forest 1
Homochitto National Forest 1

Protected places with the most eastern red 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 Mississippi

CountyRecords
Marshall County 15
Winston County 10
Amite County 10
Sharkey County 10
Benton County 9
Tishomingo County 9
Tallahatchie County 8
Forrest County 7
Oktibbeha County 6
Noxubee County 6
Franklin County 6
Lafayette County 6
29 other counties 64

The complete county distribution, spread across 41 Mississippi counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Eastern red bats roost singly in foliage, so Mississippi encounters are more often made with acoustic detectors or at dusk than by finding a roost. Homochitto, Tombigbee, and Holly Springs national forests provide broad wooded landscapes where forest edges, roads, and ponds create useful flyways and feeding areas.

Reports build in April and remain strongest through August, matching the warm-season abundance of flying insects and increased bat activity. A detector survey shortly after sunset is far more reliable than daylight searching.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

Eastern red bat roosting among green leaves, disguised as a dead leaf
Full species profile Eastern Red Bat Lasiurus borealis Size 9.3–11.7 cm3.7–4.6 in Weight 7–13 g0.2–0.5 oz Lifespan Up to 2.6 yr View the full profile

More mammals in Mississippi 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"