Wisconsin mammals

Tricolored Bat in Wisconsin

Perimyotis subflavus

Native to Wisconsin S1 Critically Imperiled in Wisconsin

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

IUCN Red List status

  1. LC
  2. NT
  3. VU
  4. EN
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX

VU – Vulnerable

High risk of extinction in the wild.

Tricolored Bat hibernating on a limestone mine wallTricolored Bat hanging from a cave ceiling with pale belly fur visibleTricolored Bat roosting in a shallow concrete creviceTricolored Bat tucked against a pale cave wallTricolored Bat roosting under a dark cave overhang
Photo: Krynak Tim, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service · Public domainTricolored Bat hibernating on a limestone mine wallPhoto: Ann Froschauer/USFWS · CC-BYTricolored Bat hanging from a cave ceiling with pale belly fur visiblePhoto: aispinsects · CC-BYTricolored Bat roosting in a shallow concrete crevicePhoto: cigazze · CC-BYTricolored Bat tucked against a pale cave wallPhoto: Matt D'Agrosa · CC-BYTricolored Bat roosting under a dark cave overhang

Tricolored Bat in Wisconsin, by the numbers

Rare in Wisconsin 57th most recorded of 75 mammals logged in Wisconsin

12 occurrence records

Records from 2000–2026.

When to look for the Tricolored Bat in Wisconsin

Most sightings fall in October.

12 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin records (table)
MonthRecords
January1
February3
March0
April1
May0
June0
July0
August0
September0
October5
November1
December1

Monthly tricolored bat occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in Wisconsin, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in Wisconsin, with recorded sightings peaking in October, with a smaller rise in February.

Occurrence map

Where Tricolored Bat has been recorded in Wisconsin

12 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

12 Wisconsin records mapped

Where it's recorded in Wisconsin

CountyRecords
Grant County 5
Richland County 3
Iowa County 2
St. Croix County 1
Kewaunee County 1

The complete county distribution, spread across 5 Wisconsin counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Wisconsin has only 12 mapped Tricolored Bat records, all supplied through GBIF, and five fall in October while most months have none. That pattern may reflect hibernaculum work or a particular survey event rather than ordinary flight activity; Horicon, Necedah, and the Upper Mississippi corridor offer wetland foraging settings, but the data do not establish them as reliable viewing sites.

These records confirm documented occurrences, not bat abundance. With an S1 state rank and such a small sample, cave-monitoring effort, record age, and repeated observations can dominate the map, while missing reports offer no basis for concluding that suitable Wisconsin habitat is unoccupied.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

Tricolored Bat hibernating on a limestone mine wall
Full species profile Tricolored Bat Perimyotis subflavus Size 7.7–8.9 cm3–3.5 in Weight 5–8 g0.2–0.3 oz Lifespan Up to 14.8 yr View the full profile

More mammals in Wisconsin 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