We took a break from our bat surveys to release one of our rehabilitated bats, a Soprano pipistrelle. The Soprano pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pygmaeus) is one of the UKs most common species of bat. It ranges from 3-7 grams in weight and can eat up to 3000 midges in a single night. Soprano pipistrelles often roost in high numbers ranging from less than a hundred to more than a thousand. They like to roost in houses and trees and love roosting under hanging tiles, hence they are known as a crevice dwelling bat. They echolocate at a slightly higher frequency 55Khz as opposed to the Common pipistrelle that echolocates at 45Khz. It wasn’t until 1999 that Soprano pipistrelles were recognised as a different species from the Common pipistrelle.
