Bats of the United States and Canada

Research Techniques

78 bats of the united states and canada Research Techniques Before threatened or endangered species and their critical habitats can be protected, studies must be conducted to obtain pertinent data concerning distribution, status, and ecology of these and other species. Studies have been initiated by federal, state, and provincial agencies. Primary objectives are to determine distribution and status of species that are endangered, threatened, or of special concern, to obtain information concerning various aspects of their ecology; and to formulate management recommendations. Gathering data about nonendangered species is a secondary objective. Research techniques used to inventory species of bats present at a given site have evolved over the years from the use of shotguns, mist nets, and hand collecting (e.g., hibernating bats). For many years, researchers relied on banding techniques to obtain data on various aspects of behavior and ecology. Most banding was done during winter hibernation when bats could be easily captured in caves and mines. More modern techniques include improved mist nets, harp traps, bat detectors, night-vision equipment, chemical lights, data loggers, motion detectors, microchips, acoustic identification (e.g., AnaBat), thermal imaging, and radiotelemetry. Bat detectors allow ultrasonic calls of bats to be audible to human ears. Much information can be acquired by listening to bats, including where they forage and how many bats are in a habitat. Troy L. Best ...