Bats in Arizona: Where to Look and What Signs to Watch For

Yes, bats are widespread and common throughout Arizona, and the state ranks among the richest in the country for bat diversity. Biologists have recorded roughly 28 species here, which is more than almost any other state. They live across deserts, grasslands, river corridors, canyons, and high mountain forests.

The reason Arizona holds so many kinds is its mix of habitats and elevations. Hot low deserts near the Sonoran and the Mexican border suit warm-climate species like the Mexican free-tailed bat, the pallid bat, and the nectar-feeding lesser long-nosed bat. Cooler mountain forests in places like the Chiricahuas, the Mogollon Rim, and the San Francisco Peaks support tree-roosting and crevice-roosting bats. Old mines, natural caves, and highway bridges give large colonies safe places to roost and raise young.

You do not need to travel far to find them. On a warm summer evening, watch the sky over almost any pond, canal, river, or desert wash and you will likely see bats feeding on insects. For a guided starting point near you, use the state wildlife hub and the bat animal facts page.

Yes, very. Arizona is one of the best bat-watching states in the country, and on a warm night bats are easy to find. Mexican free-tailed bats alone can number in the hundreds of thousands at a single roost, and they spread out across cities and farmland every evening to hunt insects.

Where you stand still matters. Bats concentrate near water and insects, so canals in Phoenix and Tucson, the Colorado, Salt, Gila, San Pedro, and Verde rivers, and desert springs all draw steady activity. Bridges and culverts shelter big colonies that emerge in long ribbons at dusk. In the cooler high country, numbers are smaller but the variety of forest species goes up.

The main thing that changes your odds is timing. Match a warm, calm evening with a spot near water or a known roost and bats are close to a sure thing from late spring into fall. For help picking a first area, use the state wildlife hub and the route guide to narrow your search before you head out.

Arizona is home to about 28 bat species, the most of nearly any state. The most familiar is the Mexican free-tailed bat, also called the Brazilian free-tailed bat, which forms enormous summer colonies under bridges and in caves and mines. These bats fly fast and high and emerge in long streams at dusk.

A few species make Arizona special. The lesser long-nosed bat is a nectar feeder that migrates north each summer to follow blooming saguaro cactus and agave, and it is an important pollinator of those desert plants. The pallid bat is pale and large-eared, and it is unusual because it hunts close to the ground for scorpions, beetles, and crickets. The California leaf-nosed bat is a desert specialist that stays active in winter and roosts in mines and caves.

Arizona also has many tree and crevice bats, including the hoary bat with its frosted fur, the silver-haired bat, the big brown bat common around towns, and the western red bat. Smaller Myotis bats are abundant too, such as the little brown bat, the cave myotis, the long-eared myotis, and the fringed myotis. To compare flight styles and identification marks, see the bat resources page.

Which species you are likely to see depends a lot on habitat. Low desert favors free-tailed bats, pallid bats, and the nectar feeders, while mountain forests favor tree bats and the myotis group.

Arizona's roughly 28 species sort into a few broad groups that are useful to learn before a night out. Free-tailed bats, named for the tail that extends past the wing membrane, include the abundant Mexican free-tailed bat and the larger big free-tailed bat. They are fast, high fliers that cover long distances to feed.

Nectar bats are the desert's pollinators. The lesser long-nosed bat and the Mexican long-tongued bat both feed on agave and cactus flowers and on hummingbird feeders late in the season, and they have long snouts and brushy tongues suited to reaching nectar. Leaf-nosed bats, represented here by the California leaf-nosed bat, have a fleshy spike on the nose and stay in the warm low desert year-round.

Vesper bats, also called evening bats, make up the largest group and include the pallid bat, the big brown bat, the hoary bat, the western red bat, the spotted bat with its huge pink ears, and the many small Myotis species. This is the group you will most often see fluttering over water at dusk. For pictures and identification help across these groups, start at the bat animal facts page.

Some of the easiest viewing is right in the cities. In Phoenix, the Mexican free-tailed bat colony that roosts in the flood-control tunnel near 40th Street and the Arizona Canal is a popular summer spectacle, often called the Phoenix bat cave, where thousands stream out at dusk. In Tucson, the underpass at the Campbell Avenue bridge over the Rillito River draws watchers to a similar evening emergence.

Beyond the city bridges, several wild spots reward an evening visit. The riparian corridors of the San Pedro River, the Verde River, and the Gila River concentrate bats over water. Cave and mine country in the southeast, including the Chiricahua and Huachuca mountains, holds a wide variety of species. Desert preserves and any pond, stock tank, or canal will produce bats on a warm night because the insects gather there.

For planning a trip around the right habitat and season, pair the state wildlife page with the state bat guide and the tour planning ideas. Pick one viewing spot, check access and the sunset time, and settle in early rather than driving between sites after dark.