Records cluster across the Big Island of Hawaiʻi, especially around Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge, and the forested flanks of Mauna Kea, along with reports from Kauaʻi’s rainforest valleys and Maui’s upcountry forest. That spread across the main islands fits an animal that just needs enough tree cover to roost in and open space nearby to hunt over.
This is Hawaiʻi’s only native land mammal, the sole non-marine species that reached the islands under its own power rather than arriving with people. Unlike most bats, it roosts alone, hanging by day in tree foliage instead of packing into caves with others, then flies out after dark to hunt moths and beetles by echolocation over forest edges and farmland.
Sightings have been logged in every month, but reports climb sharply toward a peak in October and November. That likely reflects breeding-season movement and more young bats out flying, not any true migration on or off the islands.
Full species profile
