Discover

Today
Animals
Explore
Archive
Search

Use it

Classroom
Resources
Field lab
Quiz
Saved

Trust

Methodology
Sources
Corrections
Accessibility
Contributors

Details

About
Contact
Privacy
Terms
Newsletter

Animal profile

Common Pipistrelle

Pipistrellus pipistrellus

MammaliaWoodland edge, hedgerow, parkland and gardens; roosts in crevices in buildings and behind claddingLeast Concern

Field profile

The common pipistrelle is Britain's most frequently encountered bat, weighing about 4 to 7 grams. It hunts small flies, midges and mosquitoes along hedgerows and over water, and roosts in narrow crevices in buildings. It was recognised as two separate species only in the 1990s.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2026-05-02

Common Pipistrelle

One common bat turned out to be two

Bat detectors in the 1980s picked up pipistrelles calling at two clearly separated frequencies. What looked like variation in one species proved to be two, differing in genetics, roost choice and social calls but barely distinguishable by eye.

Read with evidence →

Common Pipistrelle | Daily Animal Facts