California mammals

Pocketed Free-tailed Bat in California

Nyctinomops femorosaccus

Native to California S3 Vulnerable 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.

AI-generated image: Pocketed free-tailed bat roosting on tree bark, large joined wrinkled ears and free tail visible. No public-domain photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracyAI-generated image: Pocketed free-tailed bat roosting on a canyon rock face. No public-domain photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracyAI-generated image: Pocketed free-tailed bat close view in a rock crevice. No public-domain photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracy
AI-generated image No public-domain photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracyPocketed free-tailed bat roosting on tree bark, large joined wrinkled ears and free tail visibleAI-generated image No public-domain photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracyPocketed free-tailed bat roosting on a canyon rock faceAI-generated image No public-domain photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracyPocketed free-tailed bat close view in a rock crevice

Pocketed Free-tailed Bat in California, by the numbers

Rare in California 210th most recorded of 241 mammals logged in California

62 occurrence records
10 with iNaturalist photos

Records from 2000–2026.

When to look for the Pocketed Free-tailed Bat in California

Most sightings fall in April.

62 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
January3
February8
March6
April16
May4
June1
July2
August1
September2
October11
November6
December2

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

Seasonality

Year-round in California, with recorded sightings peaking in April, with a smaller rise in October.

Occurrence map

Where Pocketed Free-tailed Bat has been recorded in California

62 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

62 California records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Cabrillo National Monument 1
Santa Rosa And San Jacinto National Monument 1

Protected places with the most pocketed 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 California

CountyRecords
San Diego County 39
Riverside County 11
Los Angeles County 4
San Bernardino County 3
Imperial County 2
Orange County 1
Other localities 2

The complete county distribution, spread across 6 California counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

California’s combined state files contain 65 Pocketed Free-tailed Bat records: 10 from iNaturalist and 55 from GBIF. It ranks 209th among 243 mammals in this California record comparison, placing it in the lower third. That’s a ranking of submitted records, not a head count of animals.

The monthly series reaches its high point in April, with 3 records in the busiest month. Records appear in 8 of 12 months, so the pattern shows when sightings were documented, not when the species must be present or absent.

California accounts for about 37% of the mapped GBIF records summarized on the national Pocketed Free-tailed Bat page. That’s a substantial share of the known record footprint, though differences in survey effort can strongly shape the percentage.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

AI-generated image: Pocketed free-tailed bat roosting on tree bark, large joined wrinkled ears and free tail visible. No public-domain photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracy
Full species profile Pocketed Free-tailed Bat Nyctinomops femorosaccus Size 11.2 cm4.4 in Weight 15 g0.5 oz Lifespan 20 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"