Horseshoe bat

This autumn Chris and Kate visited Woodchester Mansion in Gloucestershire to discover a large protected colony of horseshoe bats.

More about the species

Adult horseshoe bats have long and fluffy buff-brown coloured fur, but juveniles are more grey in colour. There are only two species of horseshoe bat found in Britain: the greater horseshoe bat is larger (5.7-7.1cm in length) whereas the lesser horseshoe bat is between 3.5 and 4.5cm. Both species have brown-grey, leaf-shaped ears and have good eye-sight despite being most active at night.

Horseshoe bats are named after the leaf-like skin flap surrounding their nostrils which is used in echolocation. They have a more sophisticated echolocation than all other British bats because of this specialised flap of skin, allowing them to "see" at resolutions as small as a thread.

In autumn the bats can be seen out at night foraging to build up reserves ready for hibernation. They feed mostly on beetles, moths, butterflies and other insects, and are known to pick items up off the ground as well as in mid-air. They are also able to drink from the surface of water during low-level flight.

The bats leave their roosts at dusk and fly in a series of short glides up to 6m above the ground. The greater horseshoe bat echolocates in frequencies around 82kHz and the lesser species does so at higher frequencies around 110kHz. Both of these are outside human hearing ranges.

Both greater and lesser horseshoe bats are classed as rare in Britain. Their decline is partially attributed to roost disturbance and loss of habitat. Pesticide use has also had a significant effect on their insect food sources.