Year-round monitoring of bat records in an urban area: Kharkiv (NE Ukraine), 2013, as a case study

Abstract

This study presents information about the year-round phenology of bats of temperate zones in a city area for the first time. Intotal, 967 individuals of 5 bat species ( Nyctalus noctula[87.5%],Eptesicus serotinus[10.6%],Pipistrellus kuhlii[0.8%],Vespertilio murinus [0.9%], andPlecotus auritus[0.1%]) were recorded during 2013 in Kharkiv. The population structures of temperate bat species arecomplex; segregation of sex and age groups varies spatially and seasonally. Most of the bats (88%) were collected during the hibernationperiod (January March and November December) and the autumn invasion (August mid-September). The breeding period saw alower number of bats collected, making up 0.5% of records (May July). The degree of tolerance to urbanization is species-specific. Thebats were found indoors (68.6%), between window frames (26.6%), outdoors (2.8%), in basements (1.05%), and on balconies (0.95%).Bats of temperate latitudes inhabit big cities in significantly increasing numbers in winter, spring, and autumn. They avoid urban areasin both the breeding period and the period of fat-store accumulation before hibernation.