Bat House Forum

[jdawn]

Ok, this is probably a stupid question.... but, here goes:

What is the correct term used when one is referring to a large number of bats that are found together in a group? Such as, a "flock" of birds, a "gaggle" of geese, a "swarm" of bees, a "covey" of quail, a "pack" of dogs, a "herd" of deer (you get the picture)...

... so, then, a  "_? _" of bats.  (Thank you for enlightening me  )

[Erik]

Hi Jdawn, that's not a stupid question at all! :brightidea: I am a bat ecologist and still I have to think really hard about how to call the group of bats I have found. But I will give it a shot:

- most of the time a large group of bats roosting in one place (tree, barn, cave, attic, bat house etc.) is called a colony. But more precise often the term colony is used for a large group of bats of the same species roosting in one space. If a cave if used by big groups of two species of bats then we normally sat that the cave is used by two colonies of bats.

- female bats with pups usually gather in maternity colony. Depending on species and population density these maternity colonies can exist of 100,000's mothers with pups (for example Mexican free tailed bats) or only a few. A group of 10 female big eared bats with pups is also called a maternity colony.

- male bats of one species are mostly found alone or in smaller groups. I have seldom heard the term colony, used for a bachelor group. But I guess most people also call these groups a bat colony.

- in winter time lots of species of bats gather in groups in caves to hibernate. Also different species of bats often gather in the same cave. Where I come from (the Netherlands, Europe) those groups are not referred to as colonies. Large groups hanging together in one space are then called clusters (???)

Pretty confusing huh? :sadeyes1:

How to call a group of bats in flight in English, I don't know. In Dutch we call it a zwerm (swarm), but I guess a flock is also a good description.

I don't know if my foreign view on your question is helpful for you. English is also not my native speech. But if I am wrong, the other forum members surely will correct me!

Erik

[jdawn]

Thank you Erik, that is helpful.  This question was prompted by a large number of bats I had seen in flight and when I went to tell someone about the "...swarm? of bats." I had to pause because when I think of "swarm" I initially think of insects.  So, I wondered what I was to call them...  sounds like swarm may be accepted then?

I appreciate your thoughts on my "bunch of bats" inquiry  

[cloudman75]

Erik's term of a swarm is correct for North America from what I have read.

Good question, Good answer by Eric in my opinion.

Take a look at this link to document the term in Virginia if you like.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3845/is_200607/ai_n16810386/pg_6

[jdawn]

Thank you both so much for your thoughtful responses~ I really enjoy learning about these fascinating 'little guys' and can't wait to see if some will accept the modest bat house we plan to set up for them.  Hopefully they will come in "swarms" for a chance to live in our backyard!