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Membership builds our community and gives us a predictable income, which lets us plan and sustain longer projects that can have a greater impact. The more members we have, the more we can do to protect the Sussex countryside and coast.
Overview
Like all UK bats, Greater Horseshoes are nocturnal, and will leave their roost at dusk to munch on nighttime moths, midges and beetles. Returning at dawn to rest during the day, Greater Horseshoes roost hanging upside down and wrapped in their own wings.
Key Facts
- Greater Horseshoes are so named for their horseshoe-shaped nose ‘leaf’ which helps with echolocation – the way bats use sound waves to find food and manoeuvre in the dark.
- Not to be confused with the Lesser Horseshoe Bat which are absent from Sussex. Both have the horseshoe nose leaf and hang upside down. But the smaller Lesser Horseshoe is completely obscured when wrapped in its wings – unlike the Greater whose face can be seen peeping through.
- When hunting, Greater Horseshoes will watch insect prey from a regular perch before flying out to catch them and return. In summer, piles of discarded insect remains on the ground may indicate a Greater Horseshoe perch above!
- All bats are legally protected in the UK, as are their roosts, whether bats are currently in residence or not. Bats don’t make nests but use existing spaces to roost during the day and to hibernate during winter.
Status
All 18 UK bat species are at risk, having suffered from habitat loss through overdevelopment and intensification of agriculture, and a loss of their insect prey due to over-use of pesticides. Due to legal protections and the work of committed conservation organisations, in the last 40 years the recorded number of Greater Horseshoes in the UK has risen from 2,200 to 13,000. This steady increase in population was mostly isolated to Wales and Southwest England. However, the discovery of a colony in Sussex in 2019 means the species could be on the rise here!
Protected in the UK under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981. Priority Species under the UK Post-2010 Biodiversity Framework. European Protected Species under Annex IV of the European Habitats Directive.
Seasonality
Like all UK bats, Greater Horseshoes hibernate for the winter months, entering a sleep-like ‘torpor’ where they reduce their body temperature to that of their surroundings to save energy.
Bats hibernate from around October/November to April, temperature dependent. When they reappear in the spring, it’s a frenzy of feeding up for females ahead of giving birth to a single pup in around May or June. These young bats start to fend for themselves from around six weeks old.
How we can help Greater Horseshoe Bats
- Reduce or remove outdoor lighting – all UK bat species are nocturnal and sensitive to artificial light, with light pollution not only affecting their own behaviour, but that of their flying insect prey, particularly moths.
- Bats need insects, and insects need plants – include native plants in your garden or outdoor space which attract flying insect prey and reduce or stop the use of garden pesticides.
- Make space for bats – with a lack of suitable natural habitat, more bat species are becoming urban dwellers. You can help by leaving them undisturbed if they choose to roost in your home or outdoor buildings.
- Keep your pet cat in at night – domestic cats are a predator of many bat species, and once they have learnt where a roost is, they may return repeatedly to pick off bats as they leave the roost. Keeping your cat in at dusk and dawn can increase bats chances of survival.
With such a fresh new population in Sussex, you are very lucky to see a Greater Horseshoe. However, many other bat species on our doorsteps, it’s easy to spot bats in spring and summer, whirling around our woodlands, meadows and gardens at dusk. Head out just before sunset, wrap up warm, and look up!
