Virginia Big-eared Bat (Corynorhinus townsendii virginianus) Documented Acoustically in Maryland

Megan E. Zagorski^1,*, Dana Limpert², Benjamin D. Neece³, and Daniel J. Feller⁴

¹Maryland Department of Natural Resources, 301 Braddock Road, Frostburg, MD 21532. ²Maryland Department of Natural Resources, PO Box 68, Wye Mills, MD 21679. ³Southeast Bat Hub, Lehotsky Hall, Clemson, SC 29634. ⁴Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Swanton, MD 21561 (retired). *Corresponding author.

Northeastern Naturalist, Volume 33, Issue 3 (2026): N47–N55

First published early online: 23 August 2026

Abstract
Corynorhinus townsendii virginianus (Virginia Big-eared Bat) is a federally endangered subspecies of Corynorhinus townsendii (Townsend’s Big-eared Bat) found in Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. We recorded 30 files identified as Corynorhinus at 7 locations in western Maryland. We manually vetted files and sent them to acoustic experts familiar with Corynorhinus spp. Based on these records, we document the expansion of Virginia Big-eared Bats into Maryland, which constitutes a new state record.

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