Kentucky mammals

Western Little Brown Myotis in Kentucky

Myotis lucifugus

Native to Kentucky S2 Imperiled 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

EN – Endangered

Very high risk of extinction in the wild.

Little brown myotis roosting alertly on a wooden beamLittle brown myotis roosting in the corner of an attic beamLittle brown myotis roosting on painted wood sidingLittle brown myotis resting among blue spruce branches
Photo: Steph Brulot-Sawchyn · CC0Little brown myotis roosting alertly on a wooden beamPhoto: LeeAnn Latremouille · CC BY 4.0Little brown myotis roosting in the corner of an attic beamPhoto: Tom Romeo · CC BY 4.0Little brown myotis roosting on painted wood sidingPhoto: Patrick Jackson · CC BY 4.0Little brown myotis resting among blue spruce branches

Western Little Brown Myotis in Kentucky, by the numbers

Common in Kentucky 17th most recorded of 77 mammals logged in Kentucky

183 occurrence records
7 with iNaturalist photos

Records from 2000–2026.

183 total records count every Kentucky occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the monthly chart covers the 180 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Western Little Brown Myotis in Kentucky

Most sightings fall in April.

180 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
January1
February14
March21
April67
May1
June1
July5
August8
September0
October6
November28
December28

Monthly western little brown myotis occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in Kentucky, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

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

Occurrence map

Where Western Little Brown Myotis has been recorded in Kentucky

183 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

183 Kentucky records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Carter Caves State Resort Park 61
Mammoth Cave National Park 51
Daniel Boone National Forest 1
Land Between the Lakes Other 1

Protected places with the most western little brown myotis 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
Carter County 96
Edmonson County 55
Trigg County 17
Franklin County 5
Pulaski County 2
Breathitt County 2
Campbell County 1
Kenton County 1
Estill County 1
Jefferson County 1
Fulton County 1
Barren County 1

The complete county distribution, spread across 12 Kentucky counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

The western little brown myotis has 182 Kentucky records, but their timing is strikingly uneven: April accounts for 67, while September has none. That shape points to survey and cave-access effects in a karst state, especially around Mammoth Cave and other south-central Kentucky hibernation sites.

Kentucky’s status layer treats this bat as native, while the overlay’s global conservation field lists it as Endangered. The record tie at seventeenth therefore shouldn’t be translated into abundance; a concentrated survey can elevate documentation even for a species facing serious conservation pressure.

Occurrence data from GBIF.

Little brown myotis roosting alertly on a wooden beam
Full species profile Western Little Brown Myotis Myotis lucifugus Size 8–9.5 cm3.1–3.7 in Weight 6–13 g0.2–0.5 oz Lifespan 35 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"