West Virginia mammals

Eastern Red Bat in West Virginia

Lasiurus borealis

Native to West Virginia S3 Vulnerable in West Virginia

Not listed as nonindigenous in West Virginia by USGS NAS; native to its West Virginia 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 West Virginia, by the numbers

Occasional in West Virginia 27th most recorded of 77 mammals logged in West Virginia

48 occurrence records
40 with iNaturalist photos
Apr 22, 2026 Last seen in West Virginia

Records from 2000–2026.

48 total records count every West Virginia occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the monthly chart covers the 45 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Eastern Red Bat in West Virginia

Most sightings fall in July to September.

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

Monthly West Virginia records (table)
MonthRecords
January1
February0
March4
April4
May4
June3
July10
August6
September8
October2
November2
December1

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

Seasonality

Year-round in West Virginia, with recorded sightings peaking in July–September.

Occurrence map

Where Eastern Red Bat has been recorded in West Virginia

48 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

48 West Virginia records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Monongahela National Forest 1
Little River Wildlife Management Area 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 West Virginia

CountyRecords
Greenbrier County 4
Jefferson County 4
Hampshire County 3
Berkeley County 3
Pendleton County 3
Monongalia County 3
Tucker County 2
Pocahontas County 2
Logan County 2
Braxton County 2
Brooke County 2
Kanawha County 2
15 other counties 16

The complete county distribution, spread across 27 West Virginia 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 among foliage and forage along West Virginia’s forest edges, streams, and clearings. Harpers Ferry, New River Gorge, and openings in Monongahela National Forest offer appropriate summer habitat, but a bat in flight is difficult to identify confidently without acoustic data or a close diagnostic view.

State reports are concentrated in May and July–August, matching the season when foliage-roosting bats are active and readily detected. Occasional cool-season records do not make winter a practical viewing period, and grounded bats should never be handled bare-handed.

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 West Virginia 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"