Nathusius pipistrelle
Pipistrellus nathusii
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Status:
The Nathusius Pipistrelle was originally thought to be a vagrant species in Britain arriving in the late autumn as a rare visitor from its haunts in Northern Europe. However, advances in bat detector techniques, coupled with a better understanding of species identification in the hand, have confirmed that the Nathusius is a native species like its cousins the common and soprano Pipistrelles. As yet its full distribution in the UK is unknown and it is probably under-recorded in Snowdonia, like the rest of Wales. It appears to be relatively widespread in Northern Ireland where surveys have identified important breeding colonies associated with Lough Neagh. It is also recorded in eastern Scotland (including North Sea oil platforms suggesting that some populations undergo migrations). Increased sampling efforts with bat detectors have determined its occurrence across eastern and southern England.
The species has European Protected Species status in the UK and it is threatened by loss of roost sites and foraging habitat like all bats, but there may also be a range expansion taking place, perhaps associated with climate change.
This is predominately a tree bat in northern Europe, where it is also regularly encountered in bat boxes. To date the limited number of UK nursery colonies are chiefly located in roof spaces of buildings. To date no roosts have been found Snowdonia but it has been recorded in flight using bat detectors.
Like the other Pipistrelles, the species emerges at sunset flying fast at canopy height with aerial hawking for insects over pasture, rivers and lakes, but also around street lights.
Females gather at nursery roosts in early summer (which may exceed more than 200 individuals in roosts recorded in Northern Ireland). Females give birth to a single baby in mid-late June and the nursery roost generally stays stable until the juveniles are weaned in August. Males in the summer roost alone or in small groups. During the autumn mating period males defend roost sites to obtain harems. At this time they display in song-flights or call from a roost or perch, emitting a complex vocalisation that allows identification by bat detector.
Longevity for this species is up to 14 years in European ringing studies.