Home Range and Habitat Use of Male Rafinesque's Big-eared Bats (Corynorhinus rafinesquii)

Abstract

Abstract We examined home range size and habitat use of four reproductively active male Rafinesque's big-eared bats (Corynorhinus rafinesquii) in an area of the Upper Coastal Plain of South Carolina during August and September 1999. Corynorhinus rafinesquii had biphasic activity patterns, with most foraging activity occurring during the first 4 h after sunset and 2 h before sunrise. Mean home range size calculated using the adaptive kernel method with a 95% use distribution was 93.1 ha. Although large contiguous tracts of mature bottomland hardwoods were common in the study area, most foraging activity occurred in young pine stands. Only 9% of foraging areas were in bottomland hardwoods.