Common pipistrelle
The common pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus) is one of the most common bats in the UK and is regularly seen in gardens.
In the summer, the common pipistrelle can be found roosting in trees and buildings, leaving its roost about 15 minutes after sunset. It is very rarely spotted over the winter hibernation period.
The common pipistrelle is one of our smallest bats but can catch up to 3,000 small insects in a single night.
The common pipistrelle was distinguished from the soprano pipistrelle in the 1990s; its echolocation call (the echoes of a bat’s high-frequency sounds which bounce back, enabling it to work out what’s ahead) is normally best heard at around 45kHz on a bat detector, whereas the soprano calls at 55kHz.
The UK population is recovering, showing an increase in the last 20 years or so; however this is still short of the known population size in the 1950s. Its reliance on buildings for roosting leaves it vulnerable to renovation work and timber treatment chemicals.
