USGS - science for a changing world  Northern Prairie Wildlife
Research Center   House Bat Management  Review of Biology and
Ecology of Insectivorous Bats  Bats are the only truly flying
mammals and belong to the order Chiroptera - "handwing." Their
ability to fly, their secretiveness, and their nocturnal habits
have undoubtedly contributed to bat folklore, superstition, and
fear.  Bats are worldwide in distribution but mainly tropical.
There are 18 families of bats and about 900 species-only the
rodents exceed them in number of species within the class
Mammalia (Tuttle 1979b). Bats are common in all the United
States. About 40 species are found north of the Mexican border
occurring from coast to coast and into the mountains, although
they are most abundant in the Southwest (Barbour and Davis
1969).  The natural habitat of most North American bats is caves
and trees. Many bats are found in mines and some in buildings.
Day roosts are dark and secluded. Foraging areas are around
water, forests, ravines, and bui