Roosting Ecology of Northern Long-eared Bats in Coastal South Carolina

Susan C. Loeb^{1, *}, Dorothy Brown², Jennifer Kindel³, Lydia H. Moore⁴, Kyle E. Shute⁵, and Eric A. Winters¹

¹USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station, 233 Lehotsky Hall, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634. ²Brown Environmental 13, 11 Glen Cove Road, Arden, NC 28704. ³South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Union, SC 29379. ⁴Wormsloe Institute for Environmental History, 7601 Skidaway Road, Savannah, GA 31406. ⁵Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy, 372 Merrimon Ave., Asheville, NC 28801. ^*Corresponding author.

Journal of North American Bat Research, Volume 4 (2026):1–19

Abstract
Myotis septentrionalis (Northern Long-eared Bat) has experienced severe population declines due to the impacts of white-nose syndrome, although some populations along the Atlantic Coast appear to be persisting. Our objectives were to document the presence of Northern Long-eared Bats across the Coastal Plain of South Carolina and describe roost characteristics and other aspects of the bats’ ecology. We captured 45 Northern Long-eared Bats from April to August 2017–2024 across 4 sites. We radio-tagged 30 bats and tracked them to 99 day roosts. Almost all (92.9%) roosts were in pines, predominantly Pinus taeda (Loblolly Pine) and P. palustris (Longleaf Pine); 78.8% of roost trees were alive, although adult females were more likely than males to use snags. Fifty-four percent of roosts were in stands burned within the past 4 years. Our results suggest that pine forests are important for Northern Long-eared Bats in coastal South Carolina and that prescribed fire is compatible with Northern Long-eared Bat management.

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