Kentucky mammals

Silver-haired Bat in Kentucky

Lasionycteris noctivagans

Native to Kentucky S4M Apparently Secure in Kentucky

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

Silver-haired bat tucked into loose barkSilver-haired bat roosting against barkSilver-frosted back of a silver-haired batLive silver-haired bat perched on a rock face
Photo: Mark Richman · CC BY 4.0Silver-haired bat tucked into loose barkPhoto: David LaMagna · CC BY 4.0Silver-haired bat roosting against barkPhoto: David LaMagna · CC BY 4.0Silver-frosted back of a silver-haired batPhoto: Jeff Bartlett · CC BY 4.0Live silver-haired bat perched on a rock face

Silver-haired Bat in Kentucky, by the numbers

Occasional in Kentucky 44th most recorded of 77 mammals logged in Kentucky

43 occurrence records
41 with iNaturalist photos

Records from 2000–2026.

43 total records count every Kentucky occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 42; the monthly chart covers the 42 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Silver-haired Bat in Kentucky

Most sightings fall in November.

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

Monthly Kentucky records (table)
MonthRecords
January4
February3
March0
April1
May4
June2
July0
August1
September0
October6
November17
December4

Monthly silver-haired bat occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in Kentucky, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in Kentucky, with recorded sightings peaking in November.

Occurrence map

Where Silver-haired Bat has been recorded in Kentucky

42 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

42 Kentucky records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Land Between the Lakes Other 1
Daniel Boone National Forest 1
Dale Hollow State Resort Park 1

Protected places with the most silver-haired 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 Kentucky

CountyRecords
Jefferson County 21
Madison County 3
Franklin County 2
Bullitt County 2
Warren County 2
Lyon County 1
Boone County 1
Fayette County 1
Perry County 1
Breckinridge County 1
Powell County 1
Menifee County 1
4 other counties 6

The complete county distribution, spread across 16 Kentucky counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Silver-haired bat records in Kentucky cluster around Mammoth Cave National Park and Pennyrile Forest, karst country where cave and roost surveys concentrate documentation. All 22 records come from GBIF specimen and survey data, with no iNaturalist photographs on file.

Reports peak in October through December, a pattern that likely tracks fall migration as this species moves south for winter rather than a summer residency pattern. NatureServe ranks Kentucky’s migratory population S4M, Apparently Secure.

Occurrence data from GBIF.

Silver-haired bat tucked into loose bark
Full species profile Silver-haired Bat Lasionycteris noctivagans Size 9.5–11.5 cm3.7–4.5 in Weight 11 g0.4 oz Lifespan 12 yr View the full profile

More mammals in Kentucky 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"