Illinois is home to 13 bat species. While all of the species feed on insects, they have a wide range of habitats, over-wintering behaviors, and prey preferences.
Scientific name Common name (acronym)
Myotis lucifugus little brown bat (MYLU)
Myotis sodalis Indiana bat (MYSO)
Myotis austroriparius southeastern myotis (MYAU)
Myotis grisescens gray bat (MYGR)
Myotis septentrionalis northern long-eared bat (MYSE)
Myotis leibii eastern small-footed myotis (MYLE)
Lasionycteris noctivagans silver-haired bat (LANO)
Perimyotis subflavus tri-colored bat (PESU)
Eptesicus fuscus big brown bat (EPFU)
Lasiurus borealis eastern red bat (LABO)
Lasiurus cinereus hoary bat (LACI)
Nycticeius humeralis evening bat (NYHU)
Corynorhinus rafinesquii Rafinesque’s big-eared bat (CORA)
The best Illinois-focused resources for learning more about our bats are:
Feldhamer, George A., Hoffmann, Joyce E., Carter, Timothy C. and Kath, Joseph A. 2015. Bats of Illinois. Indiana State University
Hofmann, Joyce Ellen. 2008. Field manual of Illinois mammals. Illinois Natural History Survey.
Hoffmeister, Donald F. 2002. Mammals of Illinois. University of Illinois Press.
IDNR Illinois bats