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 49th most recorded of 88 mammals logged in Minnesota

52 occurrence records
50 with iNaturalist photos
Jul 5, 2026 Last seen in Minnesota

Records from 2000–2026.

52 total records count every Minnesota occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 49; the monthly chart covers the 49 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Western Little Brown Myotis in Minnesota

Most sightings fall in July to August.

49 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
March1
April7
May8
June3
July9
August12
September4
October2
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 July–August, with a smaller rise in May.

Occurrence map

Where Western Little Brown Myotis has been recorded in Minnesota

49 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

49 Minnesota records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Miscellaneous 6
Superior National Forest 2

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
St. Louis County 14
Goodhue County 3
Anoka County 3
Clearwater County 3
Clay County 2
Wabasha County 2
Crow Wing County 2
Hennepin County 2
Dakota County 2
Lake of the Woods County 1
Hubbard County 1
Winona County 1
9 other counties 16

The complete county distribution, spread across 21 Minnesota counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Minnesota’s 52 little brown myotis records since 2000 come almost entirely from iNaturalist, 50 in all, and St. Louis County in the Arrowhead leads every other county with 14.

The count is small, and it carries weight: 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 July and August, with a smaller rise in April and May, tracking spring emergence and summer foraging, while the steepest losses show up in winter hibernacula counts.

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"