Action Plan: Bats
10 of the 17 British species of bat have been recorded in Northumberland:
| Species | Genus | Frequency |
| Brandt’s bat | (Myotis brandtii) | Rare |
| Brown Long Eared | (Plecotus auritus) | Frequent |
| Common Pipistrelle | (Pipistrellus pipistrellus) | Common |
| Daubenton’s bat | (Myotis daubentonii) | Frequent on water |
| Leisler’s bat | (Nyctalus leisleri) | Rare |
| Nathusius’ Pipistrelle | (Pipistrellus nathusii) | Rare |
| Natterer’s bat | (Myotis nattereri) | Uncommon |
| Noctule bat | (Nyctalus noctula) | Scattered |
| Soprano Pipistrelle | (Pipistrellus pygmaeus) | Common |
| Whiskered bat | (Myotis mystacinus) | Uncommon |
Although the different species have different requirements their needs are broadly similar. All are insectivorous and need insect-rich wetland, pasture or deciduous woodland in which to hunt. They navigate to feeding sites from their roosts using linear land features such as hedgerows, watercourses, avenues of trees or roads. All bats need a warm safe place to roost in the summer such as a hollow tree, in a building or in cavities external to a building such as hanging tiles or timber fascias. All bats hibernate and so need a cold, draft-free and safe place to spend the winter months, often within stone structures, mineshafts, large trees or even behind rotten timber window frames in wall cavities.
Pipistrelle bats are the most abundant and widespread bat species in the UK, but are thought to have undergone a significant decline in numbers in the last century.
