Vespertilio murinus
Vespertilio murinus
The Particoloured bat is a medium-sized (wingspan 270-310 mm), robust bat with dark brown snout and membrane, and short broad ears. Its long fur is unmistakably bicoloured: a dark brown base and silver white tips, lending this species a permanently 'frosted' look.
This species can be found in both urban, mountainous and agricultural areas. It is known to roost in crevices of buildings and trees during the summer; during winter, crevices in buildings are preferred to underground sites.
With a rapid and agile flight reminiscent of Nyctalus species, V. murinus usually hunts swarming midges and other small insects. This species prefers to forage over open spaces and using aerial hawking techniques.
This is a migratory species with a maximum recorded travel of 1 780 km.
Stable according to the IUCN Red List.
V. murinus is affected by the disturbance or loss of roosts.
Widely distributed from France, Britain and the Netherlands in the west through central, northern, and eastern Europe and Siberia to the Pacific coast. In the Mediterranean region this species occurs from southeastern France eastwards through northern Italy and Switzerland into most of the Balkans. There are scattered records from Türkiye.
