Short-term Roost Fidelity of Rafinesque's Big-eared Bat (Corynorhinus rafinesquii) Varies with Habitat

Abstract

Abstract Conservation of cavity-roosting bats must take into account their frequent movements among multiple roosts within a forest. One such species, Rafinesque's big-eared bat (Corynorhinus rafinesquii) is apparently rare or declining or both over its range. From 2001 through 2004 we captured C. rafinesquii at roosts located under bridges and used radiotelemetry to monitor movements of bats among roosts in southeastern Mississippi. We calculated an index of roost fidelity for individuals and compared indices based on sex, age-class, and location of capture (2 different sites). Of 25 different roost structures that we located, 14 were hollow trees and 11 were human-made (bridges, abandoned houses, and an oil tank). Overall, bats switched roosts every 2.1 days, changed roosts 2.6 ± 2.0 times (mean ± SD) per tracking period, and used 2.5 ± 1.2 roosts per tracking period. Bats that were captured together sometimes reunited at subsequent roosts. Dissimilarity in roosting opportunities between the 2 localitie...