New York Status: Endangered*
Federal Status: Endangered*
*On November 29, 2022, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) published a ruling reclassifying Northern Long-eared Bat from Threatened to Endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act. This rule is effective March 31, 2023. The change to Endangered in New York will take place at the same time as the Federal listing.
Distribution and Habitat
Northern long-eared bats (NLEB), also known as northern Myotis, are primarily forest-dependent insectivores. They utilize a diversity of forest habitats for roosting, foraging and raising young. In general, any tree large enough to have a cavity or that has loose bark may be utilized by NLEB for roosting or rearing young. Prior to 2006, NLEB were frequently detected in the forests of every county of New York State with the exception of the 5 counties of New York City. Since they feed predominantly on flying insects, they hibernate through the late fall and early spring to save energy when food is not available. Most known hibernation sites are caves or abandoned mines.
A Species in Decline
NLEB were listed as "threatened" by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) under the federal Endangered Species Act on April 2, 2015. In New York, all federally threatened species that occur in the state are afforded threatened status under the New York Endangered Species Law and its implementing regulations. As recently as 2005, the NLEB was New York State's third most common bat species with populations estimated at or above 500,000 animals. The federal listing was the result of a dramatic population decline throughout most of the species' range. These declines have been caused by white-nose syndrome (WNS), a disease caused by an invasive fungus that ultimately causes affected hibernating bats to starve to death over the winter. Since WNS was first discovered in New York in 2006, a 98% decline in the abundance of NLEB has been observed. DEC is actively working with researchers from around North America to develop a management approach that will aid the recovery of this species. In the meantime, legal protections afforded by the listing status of the bat are focused on minimizing and avoiding direct loss of the remaining individuals by protecting the known hibernation sites and limiting forest management activities where NLEB are most likely to be present to certain times of the year.
Please see Protection of Northern Long-eared Bats for best management practices for all projects that may impact NLEB and its habitat. Note that projects located within 5 miles of a known hibernation site or 3 miles of a documented summer occurrence may have additional protective requirements.
For more information on other species of bats, visit Watchable Wildlife.
