Bat Viewing Sites
Bats are found throughout the world, on all continents except Antarctica. Bats live in forests and woodlands, in the cracks and crevices of stone cliffs, and underground in caves and abandoned mines. Bats also live in urban settings too, in buildings and under bridges. Bats also roost in our backyards and neighborhoods, in hollowed-out trees and under eaves, shingles, and siding.
Watch for bats in your backyard, under streetlights, and near water sources. Click on this map to find bat viewing sites near you.
Yolo Basin
Sacramento, California, U.S.
A wetlands causeway becomes the perfect roost for migrating bats to stage a nightly “flyout”
Wyandotte Cave
Leavenworth, Indiana, U.S.
Largest hibernacula for endangered Indiana myotis in the world located in O Bannon Woods State Park Leavenworth Indiana
Waugh Drive Bridge
Houston, Texas, U.S.
Home to a summer colony of about 250,000 Mexican free tailed bats in Houston Texas
Wat Khao Wongkhot Temple
Thailand, Asia
Thai temple tucked in the mountains with nightly flights of a million or more bats
University of Florida Bat Houses
Gainesville, Florida, U.S.
College campus with more than 400,000 “resident bats”
Taipei Zoo
Taipei, Taiwan
Bats have been found to live in several areas of the zoo including the zoo s forests bamboo groves underground tunnels and culverts and bat houses
Stuart Bat Cave
Kickapoo Cavern State Park, Texas, U.S.
Maternity site for about a million Mexican free tailed bats
Sauta Cave
Near Scottsboro, Alabama, U.S.
Hundreds of thousands of gray bats in night flights east of the Mississippi
Pemba Island
Tanzania, Africa
African island bat sanctuary with thousands of mega-size flying foxes
Orient Mine
Near Alamosa, Colorado, U.S.
Ghost-town mine becomes migratory roost for a quarter-million bats
Old Tunnel WMA
Fredericksburg, Texas, U.S.
Abandoned railroad tunnel with up to 3 million Mexican free tailed bats and more than 1,000 Cave myotis
Nickajack Cave
South Pittsburg, Tennessee, U.S.
Summer emergence of 100,000 Gray myotis over Nickajack Lake
Mabul Island Palau Mabul
Mabul Island, Malaysia
Mabul Island is home to many Borneo Large Flying Foxes
Kasanka National Park
Zambia, Africa
One of Africa’s greatest wildlife spectacles with millions of migrating straw-colored bats
James River Bat Cave
Mason, Texas, U.S.
Maternity colony of 4 million to 6 million Mexican free tailed bats located at the Eckert James River Bat Cave Preserve
Frio Bat Cave
Concan, Texas, U.S.
Privately owned cave with a colony of up to 10 million Mexican free tailed bats
Devils Sinkhole
Rocksprings, Texas, U.S.
Large sinkhole inhabitated by 3 million Mexican free tailed bats located in Devil s Sinkhole State Natural Area near Rocksprings Texas
Congress Avenue Bridge
Austin, Texas, U.S.
Largest urban colony of bats in the world located in Austin Texas
Clarity Tunnel
Quitaque, Texas, U.S.
Abandoned railroad tunnel located along the Trailway of Caprock Canyon State Park
Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Carlsbad, New Mexico, U.S.
Spectacular bat flight programs and a haven for 17 bat species
Bracken Bat Cave
San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
Summer home to millions of Mexican free tailed bats Open Wednesday through Sunday nights with reservations through October 10
Bear Gulch Cave
Pinnacles National Park, California, U.S.
Hiking through a bat cave, home to a breeding colony of bats
Bat Cave
Naracoorte, Australia
Largest breeding colony of Southern bentwing bats located in Naracoorte Caves National Park
Jonathan Alonzo
Bracken Cave is the summer home of more than 20 million Mexican Free-tailed Bats (Tadarida brasiliensis), making it the world’s largest bat colony and one of the largest concentrations of mammals on Earth. The emergence of these millions of bats, as they spiral out of the cave at dusk for their nightly insect hunt, is an unforgettable sight.
During the summer months, guests can expect to see a tornado of bats from rustic wooden benches in beautiful Texas hill country.
Upcoming Events
Oct. 31
2023
October Bat Chat – Unmasking the Mystery: The Battle Against White-nose Syndrome
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