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| Distribution |
In NC, occurs sparingly in the southern half of the mountains, plus a recent record in the northern foothills of a migrant (presumably) in Surry County. Records are essentially limited to the region from Yancey County southwest to Swain County; records from Yancey and Madison counties were newly made in 2016. Until about 2000, there was only a single record from the Asheville area, and the thought at that time was that the record was perhaps of a stray/vagrant individual in search of a roosting cave.
A small range for a bat species, occurring only from IL and OK eastward to WV, western NC, and northern FL. |
| Abundance |
Rangewide, declining sharply, owing to heavy losses to White Nose Syndrome in caves to the west of North Carolina. In NC, formerly considered accidental to casual and not a part of the species' normal range. However, with recent warm-season records of individuals mist-netted and also found roosting under bridges, it is clearly of regular occurrence in at least part of the mountains, though it is clearly a rare species in the state. It is still poorly known, but because it is not restricted to caves in the state, it likely will be found in additional mountain counties in upcoming years -- as was the case of one photographed roosting under a bridge in Surry County. |
| Seasonal Occurrence |
Hibernates in winter. Migrates up to several hundred miles from breeding areas to roost in large colonies at just one or two dozen cave sites within its range. Essentially all records in the state are in the warmer months, and its winter status is essentially completely unknown. Despite intensive surveys of dozens of caves in winter for roosting bats, no Gray Bat has yet been found in a cave in the state, despite it being a strong cave-dweller nearly throughout its range. Thankfully, bat biologists have been finding a few of them roosting under bridges. |
| Habitat |
Over nearly all of its range, this species is more closely tied to caves at all seasons than are other bats, and it is especially habitat-specific, favoring limestone caves with creeks flowing through them. However, it seems to roost in North Carolina under bridges (and likely inside trees or in clumps of leaves), at least in the warmer months. As it often roosts under bridges, apparently, it is presumed to feed over rivers or large creeks. Its winter habitat is not known. Do all of the NC summering individuals leave the state and head westward to caves in TN or other states? This seems unlikely, but why is it not turning up in wintertime cave surveys in NC? |
| Behavior |
These bats always forage at night over water, such as lakes, ponds, and rivers, fairly close to caves. |
| Comments |
The Gray Bat has long been designated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as an Endangered species, and most of the relatively few caves where it breeds and roosts are gated, to prevent human entrance. As would be expected, White Nose Syndrome has severely impacted the species since the disease was first uncovered around 2008-09. In NC, this may be the most poorly known of the montane bat species, but a number of new records have been made in recent years, including a handful of bridge sites in Buncombe, Madison, and Yancey counties in 2016, and far eastern Surry County in 2019. As the species is Federally Endangered, the State status is also thus Endangered. |
| Origin |
Native |
| NC List |
Official |
 State Rank |
S1 |
| State Status |
E |
| Global Rank |
G3G4 |
| Federal Status |
E |
| subspecies |
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| other_comName |
Gray Myotis |
| synonym |
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