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Daubenton's bat

Myotis daubentonii

Daubenton's bat © the City of Helsinki materialbank, Yrjö Siivonen
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Daubenton’s bats are relatively small bats with short ears. Their back is light or reddish brown, the stomach is greyish white, and the ears and patagium are brown. Their wings are wide. They are one of the most common and numerous bats in Estonia, who live and feed near waterbodies and small woodlands that are similar to parks. On summer nights, they can be seen flying above all kinds of waterbodies – rivers, ponds, and lakes. They hunt just a few dozen centimetres above the surface of the water. They tend to keep close to each other, often forming larger groups. In the daytime, the colony hides in tree hollows. Daubenton’s bats hibernate during winter. They head to the hibernating places – mainly large artificial caves that people do not use – as early as at the end of September and leave in March and April, when insects start to fly. Under protection (protection category II). More than 65 species of mammals have been registered in Estonia, 14 of which are bats or Chiroptera. There are about 500,000 bats in Estonia. In Tallinn, their most important feeding places are Kadriorg Park, Pirita River Valley, Raku lakes, the area surrounding Ülemiste Lake, Astangu, and Rocca al Mare.