There are 18 species of bats in Canada. Some have a very broad range, while others are only found in eastern or western Canada. All species of bats in Canada feed solely on insects. Some species are non-migratory, whereas others are migratory.
In Canada, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) is the arms-length advisory panel to the federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change concerning the status of wildlife species at risk of extinction in Canada. Unfortunately, due to the lack of information on the population sizes of bats in Canada, COSEWIC cannot accurately assess the conservation status of many bat species. The federal status of each bat species is listed below. To find the provincial conservation status of each species, visit https://www.natureserve.org/, enter the Latin name of the species in the search field, and look under the conservation status tab.
Common name | Latin name | Status | BC | AB | SK | MB | ON | QC | NB | NS | PEI | NFL | NU | YK | NT |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
California myotis | Myotis californicus | x | |||||||||||||
Fringed bat | Myotis thysanodes | Data Deficient | x | ||||||||||||
Keen's myotis | Myotis keenii | Data Deficient | x | ||||||||||||
Pallid bat | Antrozous pallidus | Threatened | x | ||||||||||||
Spotted bat | Euderma maculatum | x | |||||||||||||
Townsend's big-eared bat | Corynorhinus townsendii | Special Concern | x | ||||||||||||
Yuma myotis | Myotis yumanensis | x | |||||||||||||
Long-legged bat | Myotis volans | x | x | x | x | ||||||||||
Long-eared bat | Myotis evotis | x | x | x | x | ||||||||||
Western small-footed bat | Myotis ciliolabrum | x | x | x | |||||||||||
Big brown bat | Eptesicus fuscus | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | |||||||
Red bat | Lasiurus borealis | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | ||||||
Silver-haired bat | Lasionycteris noctivagans | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | |||||
Little brown bat | Myotis lucifugus | Endangered | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x |
Northern long-eared myotis | Myotis septentrionalis | Endangered | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x |
Hoary bat | Lasiurus cinereus | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | ||
Tri-coloured bat | Perimyotis subflavus | Endangered | x | x | x | ||||||||||
Eastern small-footed bat | Myotis leibii | x | x |