What is a bat’s natural habitat?

Bats live in colonies, which count dozens male and female bats that have grouped together forming a roost. Bat colonies will split or relocate throughout the year for various reasons, such as to hibernate during the winter or during the summer maternity season. As nocturnal animals, bats will sleep during the day and become active during the night. Bats will fly out of their roost to hunt or mate. Bat colonies roost within particular types of locations that will provide them with safety.



Bats prefer warm and dark places, and they roost at the top of the locations they choose, hanging upside-down. Bats are a very well-adapted species, and they exist in almost all continents and countries around the globe. Although bats prefer remote wilderness, like forests or parks, they also sometimes inhabit populated areas, like cities and farms. Bats will roost in caves, all sorts of holes and gaps in the rocks, abandoned mine shafts, trees, as well as human homes. They will often inhabit attics, sheds, basements and roofs, if they manage to flight into a house. This can turn into a bat infestation.

Bats need spaces with high ceilings, rough surface so that they are able to cling on to it, and a certain amount of width so that they have enough space to land. The location bats choose to roost in, is going to have to be exposed to a lot of light during the morning hours, but not the whole day, because bats need warm, but not hot environment. Bats also need to be near a permanent source of water, like a river, pond or a lake.

In their natural environment, bats will roost in caves, trees and all sorts of larger holes and gaps. Since bats live on the ceiling of spaces they occupy, they will need a location to have a certain amount of height and width, so that they have enough space. If none other places are available, bats will inhabit trees. Trees however, are not the safest habitat for bats, and they will inhabit them only if there are no other places available. Many bat-lovers are building houses specially designed for bats to roost in them. However, since bats have some very specific needs when it comes to their habitat, building a proper habitat for them and placing it accordingly can be very demanding and difficult, to say the least.

If you need help, we service the entire USA! Click here for a wildlife removal specialist in your town!

Go back to the main Bat Removal page for more information about What is a bat’s natural habitat?.