Head to head
Common Pipistrelle vs Little Brown Bat
Common Pipistrelle
VS Little Brown Bat
The common pipistrelle and little brown bat are both small, insect-eating bats that hibernate through the winter, but they live on different continents and face very different fates.
| Common Pipistrelle | Little Brown Bat | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Pipistrellus pipistrellus | Myotis lucifugus |
| Range | Europe, parts of western Asia, and North Africa | Forest and wetland habitat across a broad range of Canada and the United States |
| Diet | Small flying insects such as midges and flies, thousands in a night | Flying insects such as moths, beetles, and midges, several hundred small insects in an hour |
| Roosting | Crevices and roof spaces of houses, with summer colonies of females raising young | Hibernates in large, dense groups in caves and abandoned mines called hibernacula |
| Hunting | Fast, erratic flight along hedgerows, woodland edges, and around street lights | Hunts in complete darkness by echolocation, interpreting the returning echoes |
| Species note | Was long treated as one species until the common and soprano pipistrelles were recognised, which call at different frequencies | Not specifically documented |
| Main threat | Depends on roosts in buildings and on insect-rich habitat | White-nose syndrome, a fungal disease that disrupts hibernation and has killed millions of bats |
| Conservation status | Least Concern, among the most common bats across its range | Endangered, with a decreasing population |
Common Pipistrelle vs Little Brown Bat: common questions
Which bat is smaller, the common pipistrelle or the little brown bat?
The common pipistrelle is one of Europe's smallest bats, weighing only a few grams with a wingspan of around 20 to 25 cm.
Which bat has been hit by white-nose syndrome?
The little brown bat, which has suffered catastrophic declines across much of eastern North America from the fungal disease.
Where do the common pipistrelle and little brown bat live?
The common pipistrelle lives across Europe, parts of western Asia, and North Africa, while the little brown bat lives across forest and wetland habitat in Canada and the United States.