{"id":22639,"date":"2025-10-28T16:17:47","date_gmt":"2025-10-28T23:17:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.azgfd.com\/?p=22639"},"modified":"2025-10-29T12:24:30","modified_gmt":"2025-10-29T19:24:30","slug":"bat-week-takes-flight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.azgfd.com\/2025\/10\/28\/bat-week-takes-flight\/","title":{"rendered":"BAT WEEK TAKES FLIGHT"},"content":{"rendered":"
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NEWS RELEASE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oct. 28, 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PHOENIX \u2013 Happy Bat Week! Each year from October 24\u201331, the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) joins other conservation organizations and government agencies in celebrating the incredible contributions that bats make to our world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Often misunderstood, feared, or cast as the villains in spooky stories, bats are actually among nature\u2019s most important \u2014 and fascinating \u2014 creatures. From eating their weight in bugs each night to being the MVPs of the pollinator night shift, life on Earth wouldn\u2019t be the same without these marvelous mammals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With 29 species \u2014 including nectar-eating, scorpion-eating, and insect-eating bats \u2014 Arizona is second only to Texas in bat diversity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cArizona has a lot to celebrate when it comes to bats,” said Angie McIntire, AZGFD\u2019s statewide bat specialist. \u201cOur bats are colorful \u2014 red, yellow, even frost-tipped \u2014 and all different sizes, including the largest and smallest species found in the U.S.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The largest species, the greater western mastiff bat, has a 21-inch wingspan and weighs as much as a C battery. The smallest, the canyon bat, has a 7-inch wingspan and weighs slightly more than a penny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bats have vital roles in ecosystems across Arizona, but the role of insectivore might be one of the most valuable \u2014 literally. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur insect-eating bats work hard every night in the summer and save billions of dollars annually in harmful pesticides,\u201d McIntire said. \u201cThat is something to celebrate!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Here are three ideas to celebrate Arizona’s\u00a0bats\u00a0this\u00a0Bat\u00a0Week\u00a0and all year long:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Visit the “Phoenix\u00a0Bat\u00a0Cave”<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Located near 38th Street and Colter, the “Phoenix Bat Cave” is technically a Maricopa County flood control structure, but it also serves as a maternity roost from about May through October for thousands of Mexican free-tailed bats. When occupied, the tunnel is a great spot to watch the bats head out for their nightly insect buffet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Video: Phoenix Bat Cave<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n

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2. Plan to Attend a\u00a0Bat\u00a0Netting<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Mark your calendar! Our Wildlife Viewing Team hosts several bat netting events from May through September where attendees can get an up-close look at these cool creatures. The evening starts with a presentation on bat biology and ecology. Then, as the sun sets and the bats emerge, biologists will retrieve bats from the nets so that they can record physical data and show the bats to attendees for up-close viewing and photographs before sending them on their way into the night. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Netting events fill up fast \u2014 bookmark this page<\/a> to check in the spring. <\/p>\n\n\n

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3. Be a Citizen Scientist for\u00a0Bats<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Backyard Bat Project is looking for the nocturnal presence of lesser long-nosed bats at hummingbird feeders in southern Arizona and it needs citizen scientists to help gather data. Lesser long-nosed bats are nectar-eaters, so monitoring hummingbird feeders at night is a great way to learn more about their movement. Participants measure the level of fluid in the feeder at dusk and again in the early morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check out the Backyard Bat Project<\/a> and watch a video about a similar study<\/a> in the Tucson area. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Bonus Idea: Just Go Outside!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You don’t have to leave your neighborhood to celebrate Bat Week. As the sun sets, step outside and see how long it takes you to spot your first bat \u2014 they’re out there!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Visit AZGFD’s Living with Bats<\/a> page for more info. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Join AZGFD in celebrating nature’s nocturnal all-stars.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":22641,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[92],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22639","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-main-site"],"yoast_head":"\nBAT WEEK TAKES FLIGHT - Arizona Game & Fish Department<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.azgfd.com\/2025\/10\/28\/bat-week-takes-flight\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"BAT WEEK TAKES FLIGHT - Arizona Game & Fish Department\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Join AZGFD in celebrating nature's nocturnal all-stars.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.azgfd.com\/2025\/10\/28\/bat-week-takes-flight\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Arizona Game & Fish Department\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-10-28T23:17:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-10-29T19:24:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/azgfd-portal-wordpress-pantheon.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/28155922\/bat-at-night-with-flower_Web_360_featured-Image.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"360\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"360\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"agleich\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"agleich\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.azgfd.com\/2025\/10\/28\/bat-week-takes-flight\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.azgfd.com\/2025\/10\/28\/bat-week-takes-flight\/\",\"name\":\"BAT WEEK TAKES FLIGHT - 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