The Discovery of Gray Bats (Myotis grisescens) in Bridges in Western North Carolina

Katherine L.C. Etchison^1,* and Joey Weber¹

¹North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, Wildlife Management Division, 1722 Mail Service Center, Raleigh NC 27699-1722.*Corresponding author.

Southeastern Naturalist, Volume 19, Issue 3 (2020): N53–N56

Abstract
We report the first finding, in July 2016, of Myotis grisescens (Gray Bat) roosts in North Carolina. This species was formerly considered a rare visitor because occupied caves have not been found in the state. After receiving a tip about bats roosting in a bridge, we acoustically detected Gray Bats during an emergence count. Further investigation led to the discovery of 7 Gray Bat roosts in western North Carolina bridges in 2016.

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