After three editions / public votes (in 2017, 2018 and 2019) to designate the bat of the year in Romania, we are convinced that you do not need long introduction or texts. Rather, we highlight the most interesting characters of the three finalists, and we launch the vote for the “Bat of the Year 2020 in Romania“.
The vote takes place until January 31, 11:59 pm, and on February the 1st, we announce the winner. The three finalists are:
The barbastelle
With a nose for old forests
The greater noctule
A true giant of Europe
The parti-colored bat
The silvery cosmopolitan
Vote here the Bat of the year 2020 in Romania:
The Barbastelle – with a nose for old forests
The barbastelle (Barbastella barbastellus) has an excellent nose for sniffing out high value, old, natural, semi-natural or untouched forests. Thus, the presence (or absence) of the species gives us clues about the situation of these forests. The species roosts in tree holes and behind loose bark, but prefers to hunt for insects also in these forests. Only in the coldest periods of winter does it retreat to caves, where we can see specimens in the entrance area, and only very rarely entire colonies. For the protection of the species, in general, it is recommended to keep hollow trees (7-8 trees / ha) and dead wood in the habitat.
The greater noctule – a true giant of Europe
With a wingspan of almost half a meter, the greater noctule (Nyctalus lasiopterus) is the largest bat species in Europe. However, not only big, but also enigmatic: in Romania in the last decades, the species was identified only in a handful of cases. One of the fastest mammals and one of the very few bat species that hunts even small birds. It flies at altitudes of several hundred meters, but it can also fly at 1.000-1.500 m. The global population is composed of less than 10.000 specimens. The greater noctule requires the protection of mature forests with hollow trees, as well as the preservation of wetlands, marshes and floodplains.
The parti-colored bat – the silvery cosmopolitan
Being a fairly common species, the parti-colored bat (Vespertilio murinus) can be considered a cosmopolitan. The specie is encountered both in urban areas at low altitudes, as well as in mountainous areas of over 1.000 meters. Its fur has a typical coloration, with a clear delimitation between the white / whitish belly, and the dark brown / black back, with silvery hair tips. Thus, it has a constant “frozen” look. In urban areas it hunts frequently around lighting poles, and in autumn we can even hear their territorial sounds of the mating period with our own ears. The species is mainly affected by loss of roosts, for example during building renovations.