THE FLIGHT SPEED OF A MIGRATING SILVER-HAIRED BAT (LASIONYCTERIS NOCTIVAGANS)

Abstract

Abstract While radio-tracking a migrating Silver-haired Bat (Lasionycteris noctivagans) in Kootenay National Park, British Columbia, we obtained information that allowed us to calculate the flight speed of a free-flying individual. We estimate that over the tracking period, the radio-tagged bat's mean flight speed was approximately 45 km h–1. This is considerably faster than previous estimates of Silver-haired Bats' flight speeds and may have implications for data collected as part of the North American Bat Monitoring Program.