Bats

There are 16 species of bats that live in the Bay Area. Some common species in Santa Clara County parks are the Mexican free-tailed bat, the big brown bat, pallid bats, and mouse-eared bats. Bats are the only mammals that can truly fly, but you will not often see them swooping through air because they are primarily active at night.

Bats in Santa Clara County parks are insectivores, and some species can eat almost their entire body weight in insects in a single night! Studies have estimated that bats save the U.S. agriculture industry billions of dollars per year in insect control, and they also can play an important role in pollination of plants as well.

Although seeing bats is difficult during a daytime hike, you can see where some of the local bat populations are living in parks. Bats primarily like to roost in caves, tree hollows, or human made structures like barns and house attics. Many County parks also have bat houses installed where migrating bats can rest during migrations. At Calero County Park a bat “condo” provides larger habitat for a local breeding colony. As development contributes to habitat loss for bat species, parks provide an important refuge for both local and migrating bat populations.