About Plecotus austriacus (J.Fischer, 1829)
The grey long-eared bat, scientifically named Plecotus austriacus, is a fairly large bat native to Europe. It has distinctive long ears that feature a unique fold. This species typically hunts above woodland, often hunts during the day, and preys mostly on moths. Individuals in captivity have been recorded eating small lizards. It is extremely similar in appearance to the more common brown long-eared bat, and was only recognized as a separate species in the 1960s. It can be told apart from the brown long-eared bat by its paler belly. This bat is distributed across nearly all of Europe, except for the Scandinavian Peninsula. It is classified as a near threatened species, and is more commonly encountered in Southern Europe. Its preferred habitats include woodlands, grasslands, and a small number of urban areas. Its main foraging habitats are lowland meadows and marshes. It locates insect prey through echolocation. The echolocation frequencies this bat uses range between 18 and 45 kHz, carry the most energy at 28 kHz, and have an average duration of 5.8 milliseconds.
