Common pipistrelle

Pipistrellus pipistrellus

Description:
The common pipistrelle is the smallest bat in Europe, its head and body measuring just 4 centimetres and its tail 3 centimetres. It has a wingspan of 20 centimetres and weighs 5 grams. It has short ears, dark brown to reddish fur, and dark grey wings.

Habitat:
The pipistrelle lives in villages, gardens, parks, woodland and farmland, and is found across Europe and Central Asia. It is the most common bat in Europe.

Habits:
A nocturnal animal, during the breeding season the females sometimes assemble in groups of hundreds in buildings or tree hollows. The pipistrelle hibernates during the winter. It feeds on nocturnal, flying insects (such as mosquitoes and butterflies), which it locates by means of the echoes from its calls (echolocation).