Bat Planet Frequency & Audio Guide
Species Guide
We have tried to produce a summary guide here to all the species found in the UK, listing their frequencies and a description of the audio signal you should expect to hear. By using this chart in conjunction with the readout from any of our heterodyne or dual detectors, you should be able to narrow down the species of bat that you are monitoring. You will see that there is some overlap of frequencies between the various species, and so it is unlikely to give you a definitve answer, but combined with the visual and audio clues,
identification should be possible. Please note when purchasing our units, that frequency division units do not give you a readout of frequency. They are still a popular choice for their ease of use, and as a first warning of the presence of a bat, but if you want to use frequency to help you identify species, you need to use a heterodyne or dual unit.
| Name (Latin name) | Average | Peak | Call Freq | HD Description | |
| Duration | kHz | kHz | |||
Barbastelle (Barbastella barbastellus) |
4.1 ms |
38.0 |
29-47 |
Castanette like smacks, quiet |
|
| Bechstein's (Myotis bechsteinii) | 3.3 ms | 61.0 | 35-108 | Very fast series of clicks, quiet | |
| Brandt's (Myotis brandtii) | 4.2 ms | 51.0 | 32-103 | Very fast series of clicks, medium loud | |
| Brown Long-eared (Plecotus auritus) | 1.4 ms | 40.0 | 29-92 | Clicks and ticks, quiet | |
| Common Pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus) | 5.5 ms | 45.5 | 41-83 | Wet slaps and clicks, loud | |
| Daubenton's (Myotis daubentonii) | 3.3 ms | 47.5 | 32-85 | Very fast series of clicks, medium loud | |
| Greater Horseshoe (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum) | 37.4 ms | 81.0 | 69-83 | Warbling sounds, loud, very directional | |
| Grey Long-eared (Plecotus austriacus) | 2.2 ms | 40.0 | 29-92 | Clicks and ticks, quiet | |
| Leisler's (Nyctalus leisleri) | 8.5 ms | 29.0 | 25-54 | Slow irregular metallic clicks, loud | |
| Lesser horseshoe (Rhiolophus hipposideros) | 31.7 ms | 110.0 | 93-111 | Warbling sounds, loud, very directional | |
| Nathusius' Pipistrelle (Pipistrellus nathusii) | |||||
| Natterer's (Myotis nattereri) | 3.8 ms | 53.0 | 23-115 | Fast series of clicks, medium loud | |
| Noctule (Nyctalus noctula) | 20.0 ms | 20.0 | 15-53 | Slow irregular metallic clicks, very loud | |
| Serotine (Eptesticus serotinus) | 8.8 ms | 31.0 | 25-55 | Slow irregular smacks, loud | |
| Soprano Pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pygmaeus) | 5.8 ms | 55.0 | 53-90 | Wet slaps and clicks, loud | |
| Whiskered (Myotis mystacinus) | 3.0 ms | 53.0 | 34-102 | Very fast series of clicks, loud | |
