Phenology and roosting habits of the Central European grey long-eared bat Plecotus austriacus (Fischer 1829)

The authors monitored five maternity colonies of Plecotus austriacus to obtain data about phenology, roosting, and emergence behaviour. The bats occupied their roosts between April and October, with maximum colony sizes in August. Roosting sites in the attic’s roof ridge and temperatures of 20–25°C were favoured. Also considering the small colony (maximum 59) and cluster sizes (maximum 13 bats), P. austriacus behaved less thermophilic than other attic-dwelling species. During low temperatures, the bats chose small crevice-like roosting sites to compensate for that; during daytime, many bats remained hidden in crevices. Emergence began approximately 30 min after sunset; the bats used multiple, preferably crevice-like openings. P. austriacus left its summer roosts comparatively late; renovation works should, therefore, not start before November. For monitoring purposes, we recommend two to three emergence countings outside the attics in early August during warm weather, alongside two attic inspections 1–2 h before emergence for offspring monitoring.