(Province of British Columbia / Flickr)

You have likely been seeing plenty of bat decorations and if you’ve been looking up, you may have seen the real thing. British Columbia has the greatest diversity of bat habitats in Canada. 15 species of bat call B.C. home. Some species are located withing small regions while others, such as the Silver-haired Bat, Big Brown Bat, Little Brown Myotis, and Long-legged Myotis, span across the entire province. The BC Community Bat Program compiled a table showing where you can find the different species as well as their conservation status.

Bat Species in British Columbia (BC Community Bat Program)

Half of the species in BC are at risk, considered either threatened or vulnerable. There are several major threats to bats in BC:

• White-nose syndrome (WNS), a fungal disease killing millions of bats in eastern Canada an US. Fortunately, it has not yet spread to the west, but BC Community Bat Programs are actively monitoring the disease.
• Wind farms cause a localized drop in air pressure and the change can rupture the bats’ lungs, killing them. Wind farms pose a particular threat to migratory species.
• Attacks by house cats are common and expose the cats to a wide range of diseases.
• Habitat loss from humans destroying or disturbing roosting habitats. Bats are especially vulnerable to being disturbed during hibernation.

The BC Community Bat Program has a table outlining the common roosting habitats for the various species in B.C.

Bat Roosts in British Columbia (BC Community Bat Program)

During this bat-filled holiday, consider making your backyard a little safer for the bats of B.C.