Northern yellow bat

Northern yellow bats live near the coast in the Southeast, where they roost in Spanish moss and among the dead fronds that hang below the crowns of palms. Several bats may use the same clump of moss or palm skirt, and females gather in small maternity groups in summer.

They hunt over open areas: marsh edges, fields, lawns, golf courses and the edges of woods, often flying 5 to 15 metres up. They do not hibernate, but slow down on cold nights and feed whenever it is warm enough for insects.

Their hunting grounds — open land at the edge of towns — are exactly where mosquitoes and other biting flies swarm at dusk, and flies are a regular part of their diet.

They also tie a bat's life to a single plant feature: the dead palm skirt. Where ornamental palms are trimmed clean, northern yellow bats lose roosts they cannot easily replace.

Mating — autumn and winter
Birth — May and June, usually two to four pups
Nursing — pups stay in the roost while their mother feeds
Flight — at about four weeks old
Independence — by mid-summer
Lifespan — not well recorded in the wild

• Trimming the dead fronds from palms between April and August can kill pups in the skirt; leave skirts in place or trim in winter.
• Removing Spanish moss takes away roosts.
• Cats and outdoor lighting near roosts disturb these bats.
• A yellow bat on the ground should never be picked up with bare hands; bats are rabies vector species.

• Dead palm fronds are only a fire and pest hazard. They are a nursery for yellow bats; trimming them in summer can kill a litter.
• Bats come to towns to bother people. They come for the insects that gather over lawns and water at dusk.
• All bats roost in caves or attics. This one lives in palms and moss.

• Seminole bat
• Eastern red bat
• Brazilian free-tailed bat