Minnesota mammals

Western Little Brown Myotis in Minnesota

Myotis lucifugus

Native to Minnesota S3 Vulnerable in Minnesota

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

Occasional in Minnesota 54th most recorded of 88 mammals logged in Minnesota

150 occurrence records
49 with iNaturalist photos
Jul 5, 2026 Last seen in Minnesota

Records from 2000–2026.

150 total records count every Minnesota occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 149; the monthly chart covers the 149 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Western Little Brown Myotis in Minnesota

Most sightings fall in June to August.

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

Monthly Minnesota records (table)
MonthRecords
January0
February1
March2
April8
May21
June40
July28
August27
September15
October5
November1
December1

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

Seasonality

Year-round in Minnesota, with recorded sightings peaking in June–August.

Occurrence map

Where Western Little Brown Myotis has been recorded in Minnesota

149 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

148 Minnesota records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Miscellaneous 6
Superior National Forest 2
Mississippi National River and Recreation Area 1
Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness 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 Minnesota

CountyRecords
Sherburne County 77
St. Louis County 15
Itasca County 6
Lake County 6
Clearwater County 5
Hennepin County 5
Anoka County 4
Goodhue County 3
Dakota County 3
Houston County 3
Clay County 2
Washington County 2
15 other counties 19

The complete county distribution, spread across 27 Minnesota counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Little brown myotis records in Minnesota run heavily through GBIF, 141 entries against 49 from iNaturalist, a gap that reflects hibernacula counts at sites like Superior National Forest and Itasca State Park rather than casual photographs of this small, fast-flying bat.

That mismatch matters here: the IUCN lists the species Endangered globally and NatureServe ranks it S3, Vulnerable, in Minnesota, both driven by white-nose syndrome, the fungal disease that has collapsed hibernating bat colonies across the Upper Midwest since the 2010s. Reports peak in April and again in July and August, tracking spring emergence and summer activity outside the winter hibernacula where the real population crash is measured.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and 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 Minnesota 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"