Granddad’s Camera
Common pipistrelle, as it appears in the game

No.016 · Mammals · Uncommon

Common pipistrelle

Pipistrellus pipistrellus

One of Britain's commonest bats, small enough to fit in a matchbox. It flickers along hedgerows, canals and streetlights at dusk hunting midges.

When to look

April to October, mostly at dusk.

Time of day

Best time
Dusk, about 20 minutes after sunset in May–September; hibernates roughly November–March.
Where in the game
Millbrook (canal, garden, churchyard, park, urban and farmland) and the New Forest (ancient woodland, stream, lawn and heath)
Size
Body 3.5–4.5 cm
Wingspan
20–23.5 cm
Weight
About 3–8 g
Lifespan
Usually a few years; the oldest recorded was 16 years
Population
About 3 million common pipistrelles in Britain (Mammal Society, 2018; PTES); down about 55% since the 1960s, but rising since 1998
Status
Least Concern (Britain, Mammal Society Red List 2020)

Diet

Small flying insects, mainly midges and gnats; can eat thousands in a night.

Habitat

Hedgerows, woodland edge, waterways and gardens; roosts in buildings and trees.

Breeding

One pup per female (occasionally two), born from early June to mid-July in a maternity roost; pups fly at about 4 weeks.

Field signs

  • A bat detector click at about 45 kHz
  • Small droppings, like mouse droppings but crumbly, under a roost entrance
  • Dark flickering shapes around street lights and hedgerows at dusk

Did you know?

  • A common pipistrelle's echolocation calls run from about 45 to 70 kHz, above human hearing; a bat detector turns them into clicks we can hear.
  • A single pipistrelle can eat up to about 3,000 insects in a night (PTES).
  • All British breeding bats eat insects, and their roosts are protected even when the bats are away.

Moments worth waiting for

  • Roost emergence June to August, dusk
    Bats stream from a gap under the roof tiles one by one and vanish into the dusk.
  • Feeding loops May to September, dusk
    A pipistrelle loops repeatedly round a street light, turning sharply on midges.

Photo tip

Silhouettes against the dusk sky are the easiest. Use a wide lens at a known flight line and high ISO. Flash photography of bats should only be done under a licence.

Be a good naturalist

Never enter or disturb a roost, and do not shine torches at emerging bats. Use a bat detector to enjoy them; contact the Bat Conservation Trust helpline if you find a grounded bat.

The law

All bats and roosts are protected: European Protected Species under the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 and Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. It is an offence to disturb a bat or damage or block a roost, even when empty.

Checked against