North Dakota mammals

Silver-haired Bat in North Dakota

Lasionycteris noctivagans

Native to North Dakota SNR Unranked in North Dakota

Not listed as nonindigenous in North Dakota by USGS NAS; native to its North Dakota 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 North Dakota, by the numbers

Rare in North Dakota 62nd most recorded of 92 mammals logged in North Dakota

17 occurrence records
6 with iNaturalist photos
Jul 22, 2025 Last seen in North Dakota

Records from 2000–2026.

When to look for the Silver-haired Bat in North Dakota

Most sightings fall in September to October.

17 North Dakota occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) by month of year, 2000–2026. Shows when the species is recorded, not a guarantee of presence. Based on a small number of dated records; the seasonal pattern may not be representative.

Monthly North Dakota records (table)
MonthRecords
January0
February0
March0
April0
May3
June2
July3
August2
September4
October3
November0
December0

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

Seasonality

Year-round in North Dakota, with recorded sightings peaking in September–October, with a smaller rise in May and July.

Occurrence map

Where Silver-haired Bat has been recorded in North Dakota

17 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

17 North Dakota records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Theodore Roosevelt National Park 2
Turtle River State 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 North Dakota

CountyRecords
Grand Forks County 4
Renville County 4
Billings County 2
Walsh County 2
Cavalier County 2
Cass County 1
Burleigh County 1
Ward County 1

The complete county distribution, spread across 8 North Dakota counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Silver-haired bats carry no NatureServe state rank in North Dakota, SNR unranked, and the record leans toward GBIF (15 records) over iNaturalist (6), suggesting survey data documents this solitary, tree-roosting bat more consistently than casual sightings.

Records run steadily from May through October with a modest September peak (4 sightings), a pattern consistent with one of North America’s most migratory bats passing through North Dakota on its way south, before the record falls silent for the rest of the year as the species winters elsewhere.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and 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 North Dakota 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"