Common Pipistrelle

The common pipistrelle is one of the commonest British bats, weighing 3 - 8g (about the same a 20p coin). A single Pipistrelle can eat thousands of tiny insects in just one night! They are the species you are most likely to see in your garden.

The scientific name of the common pipistrelle is Pipistrellus pipistrellus

Habitat

  • They feed in a large range of habitats such as  woodland, hedgerows, grassland, farmland, suburban and also urban areas. They fly 2-10 m above ground level and search for insect prey. They emerge about 20 minutes after sunset 
  • Summer roosts of common pipistrelles are found in crevices on outside of newer buildings 
  • However they also nest in tree cavities and also in Bat Boxes.
  • In winter, common pipistrelles are found singly or in small numbers in crevices of buildings and trees, and also in bat boxes. They are often found in relatively exposed locations and rarely underground.

     

How they fly

They appear fast and jerky in flight so they can catch small insects

Diet

Common pipistrelle feeds mainly on a wide range of small flies as well as the aquatic midges and mosquitos.

Reproduction and life cycle

  • Female Common Pipistrelle gives birth in June or early July
  • After about four weeks the young are able to fly and at six weeks they are able to forage for themselves.

  • Male bats usually roost singly or in small groups through the summer months. During the main mating period from July to early September, common pipistrelle males defend individual territories as mating roosts. They attract females by making repeated ‘songflights’ around their roost and singing social calls.

Echolocation of common pipistrelle 

Most bats we know produce a sound above the human hearing except social calls which some children and adults with really good hearing may hear.

With a bat detector (heterodyne) the echolocation calls can be picked up between about 45 and 70kHz.

 

The calls sound like a series of clicks towards the top of this range, turning into ‘wetter’ slaps with the deepest sounding slap being heard at about 45kHz, the peak intensity of the call.