Patterns in Abundance of Eastern Small-footed Bats in Virginia: Long-term Trends and Responses to Disease and Climate

Paul R. Moosman, Jr.^1,*, David M. Marsh², Richard J. Reynolds³, and Emily K. Pody⁴

¹Department of Biology, Virginia Military Institute, 510 Burma Road, Lexington, VA 24450. ²Department of Biology, Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA 24450. ³Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, Verona, VA 24482. ⁴Department of Biology, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 78666. ^*Corresponding author.

Journal of North American Bat Research, Volume 4 (2026):1–16

Abstract
Myotis leibii (Eastern Small-footed Bat) occurs in low numbers throughout its range in eastern North America. Its populations have been impacted by white-nose syndrome (WNS), but low and variable counts in hibernacula make it difficult to assess population trends. We studied numbers of bats counted in hibernacula, from 1980 to 2023, and on talus slopes in summer, from 2013 to 2025, to understand population trends in Virginia, USA. Winter bat numbers exhibited a long-term positive trend that was punctuated by low counts in the period after WNS arrived and high counts following rainy summers. Summer bat numbers showed no temporal trend, but high counts were linked with warm summers. Our results suggest that M. leibii populations in Virginia are stable and have survived WNS better than populations of other eastern Myotis. However, detecting changes in abundance of M. leibii with hibernacula surveys alone remains challenging; thus, biologists should include talus surveys in monitoring efforts.

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