Florida mammals

Mexican Free-tailed Bat in Florida

Tadarida brasiliensis

Native to Florida SNR Unranked in Florida

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

Tadarida brasiliensis - Bahamas - Long Island (sic) - Cartwright Cave - March 2006 - 2A dense column of Mexican free-tailed bats streaming from beneath a highway bridge at duskMexican free-tailed bats pouring into the evening sky as onlookers watch below
Photo: Matti Mero · Public domainTadarida brasiliensis - Bahamas - Long Island (sic) - Cartwright Cave - March 2006 - 2Photo: James Todd McCann · CC BY 4.0A dense column of Mexican free-tailed bats streaming from beneath a highway bridge at duskPhoto: Theo Summer · CC0Mexican free-tailed bats pouring into the evening sky as onlookers watch below

Mexican Free-tailed Bat in Florida, by the numbers

Common in Florida 22nd most recorded of 116 mammals logged in Florida

2,473 occurrence records
594 with iNaturalist photos
Jul 10, 2026 Last seen in Florida

Records from 2000–2026.

2,473 total records count every Florida occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 300; the monthly chart covers the 2,450 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Mexican Free-tailed Bat in Florida

Most sightings fall in February to June.

2,450 Florida occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) by month of year, 2000–2026. Shows when the species is recorded, not a guarantee of presence.

Monthly Florida records (table)
MonthRecords
January143
February335
March268
April259
May257
June275
July184
August215
September151
October134
November149
December80

Monthly mexican free-tailed bat occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in Florida, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in Florida, with recorded sightings peaking in February–June, with a smaller rise in August.

Occurrence map

Where Mexican Free-tailed Bat has been recorded in Florida

300 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

299 Florida records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Everglades National Park 13
Big Cypress National Preserve 10
Watermelon Pond Mitigation Park Wildlife and Environmental Area 4
Split Oak Forest Mitigation Park Wildlife and Environmental Area 4
Florida Caverns State Park 3
Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park 3
Austin Cary Memorial Forest 3
Falling Waters State Park 2

Protected places with the most mexican free-tailed 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 Florida

CountyRecords
Alachua County 1,100
Levy County 249
Collier County 186
Miami-Dade County 139
Orange County 100
Wakulla County 98
Hillsborough County 94
Calhoun County 92
Duval County 72
Volusia County 40
Hamilton County 31
Indian River County 29
36 other counties 243

The complete county distribution, spread across 48 Florida counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Florida’s records for the Mexican free-tailed bat spread across refuges from the panhandle to the coasts. St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge tops a short list with 3 named reports, followed by Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (2), then single records at Everglades National Park and Canaveral National Seashore. The state’s 2,473 total records make this one of the better-recorded bats in Florida.

The phenology data points to a clear February peak, with 335 records, and a second rise in June at 275. Bats roost in bridges, buildings, and caves that people check at different times of year, so the pattern likely tracks survey visits as much as bat activity.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

Tadarida brasiliensis - Bahamas - Long Island (sic) - Cartwright Cave - March 2006 - 2
Full species profile Mexican Free-tailed Bat Tadarida brasiliensis Size 3.1–4.1 cm1.2–1.6 in Weight 7–12 g0.2–0.4 oz Lifespan 8 yr View the full profile

More mammals in Florida in the atlas

Data & sources

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