Winter Bat Records for British Columbia

Abstract

ABSTRACr-A review of all known museum records and limited surveys of potential hibernacula in parts of southern British Columbia revealed low numbers and few species of bats in winter. Winter records exist for only seven of the 16 species that inhabit the province in summer. Plecotus townsendii was the only species regularly found in hibernacula. The largest winter aggregations ranged from 10-48 bats. The northern limits of the winter range for several species are near Williams Lake, where the mean minimum January temperature is-15°C. The few species and low numbers in winter are consistent with observations from adjacent areas of the western United States.