This library is maintained and edited by Janet Erickson and Dr. Stephen West,
College of Forest Resources, University of Washington.

  • Introduction
  • Access to Calls
  • Contents of Library
  • How to Submit Calls

    Introduction

    With the recent advances in portable ultrasonic detectors and electronic equipment capable of recording and analyzing bat calls, the opportunity to study bats in their natural surroundings has drastically increased. Large areas can now be monitored for bat activity based solely on detection of their echolocation calls. Such surveys have provided information on foraging strategies, species interactions, range extensions and habitat selection.

    Using ultrasonic detectors, species specific features of bat echolocation calls have been used in the field to discriminate between sympatric species or species-groups. Calls recorded in the field are compared to calls of known identity or "reference calls". Often, there are few, if any, reference calls available and these may not be from the desired geographic region. Since so few reference calls are typically available to any one researcher, variation in call characteristics within species and among geographic localities has been difficult to examine. Call characteristics may also vary within individuals as their activity or surroundings change. Species identification is difficult if not impossible without understanding the degree of variation present in natural populations.

    The purpose of this reference call library is to provide a depository for and source of bat reference calls. It is hoped that this library will aid the assessment of bat echolocation call variation as well as provide researchers with a central source of reference calls to use in future analyses.

    Example of an ANABAT call sequence

    After calls are recorded using an appropriate ultrasonic detector, it is possible to display the call as a function of frequency and time on a computer monitor using signal processing software. Because of its general availability and popularity with bat researchers, the ANABAT software package was used to create the reference call files used in this library.

    Example of an ANABAT call sequence:

    If you are interested in obtaining more information regarding ANABAT and its capabilities please contact:

    Titley Electronics
    PO BOX 19
    Ballina NSW 2478
    Australia
    phone/fax 066-86-6617

    Reference Call retrieval

    The library can be accessed via anonymous FTP or with a WWW browser like Netscape or Mosaic. If you are unfamiliar with these, contact your computer system administrator.

    FTP Access:
    ftp to ftp.u.washington.edu

    login: anonymous
    password: your email address
    type cd pub/user-supported/batcall

    To download a particular file:

    type get <file name >

    To download all call files

    bin
    mget *.bin

    WWW Access:
    Http://staff.washington.edu/~janete/BATS/batcall.html

    Note:ANABAT call files always have a file extension of three characters ending in "#". Because WWW browsers do not accept "#" in a filename, the ANABAT files in this library were renamed to end with the extension bin. To view these files with the ANABAT software after downloading, the files must be renamed so that they end in "#". To do this, at the dos prompt change the directory to the one in which the downloaded call files are contained and type ren *.bin *.00#. This will rename every file with the ending "bin" to "00#".

    Library contents

    To download any of the following reference calls:
    • Internet Explorer: RIGHT click on the file you want to download. When the menu appears, select "Save Target As...". Save the file to your computer.

    • Netscape: LEFT click on the file you want to download.

      • Eptesicus fuscus (Big brown bat) Eptesicus fuscus call #1
      Date: summer 1985. Location: Oregon Coast Range. Description: mistnet trapped by Donald Thomas, Universite de Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada.
      Eptesicus fuscus call #2
      Date: summer 1985. Location: Oregon Coast Range. Description: mistnet trapped by Donald Thomas, Universite de Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada.
      Eptesicus fuscus call #3
      Date: summer 1985. Location: Oregon Coast Range. Description: mistnet trapped by Donald Thomas, Universite de Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada.
      Eptesicus fuscus call #4
      Date: summer 1985. Location: Oregon Coast Range. Description: mistnet trapped by Donald Thomas, Universite de Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada.
      Eptesicus fuscus call #5
      Date: summer 1985. Location: Oregon Coast Range. Description: mistnet trapped by Donald Thomas, Universite de Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada.
      Eptesicus fuscus call #6
      Date: summer 1995. Location: Teanaway, Washington. Description: mistnet trapped by Mathew Frasier, University of Washington, Seattle, WA.
      Eptesicus fuscus call #7
      Date: summer 1995. Location: Teanaway, Washington. Description: mistnet trapped by Mathew Frasier, University of Washington, Seattle WA.

      Lasionycteris noctivagans (silver-haired bat)

      Lasionycteris noctivagans call #1
      Date: summer 1985. Location: Oregon Coast Range. Description: mistnet trapped by Donald Thomas, Universite de Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada.

      Myotis californicus (California myotis)

      Myotis californicus call #1
      Date: summer 1992. Location: Willapa Wildlife Refuge, Washington. Description: harp trapped by Robin Christy, University of Washington, Seattle, WA.
      Myotis califronicus call #2
      Date: summer 1995. Location: Teanaway, Washington. Description: mistnet trapped by Mathew Frasier, University of Washington, Seattle

      Myotis evotis (long-eared myotis)

      Myotis evotis call #1
      Date: summer 1985. Location: Oregon Coast Range. Description: mistnet trapped by Donald Thomas, Universite de Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada.
      Myotis evotis call #2
      Date: summer 1985. Location: Oregon Coast Range. Description: mistnet trapped by Donald Thomas, Universite de Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada.
      Myotis evotis call #3
      Date: summer 1985. Location: Oregon Coast Range. Description: mistnet trapped by Donald Thomas, Universite de Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada.

      Myotis lucifugus (little brown bat)

      Myotis lucifugus call #1
      Date: summer 1985. Location: Oregon Coast Range. Description: mistnet trapped by Donald Thomas, Universite de Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada.
      Myotis lucifugus call #2
      Date: summer 1985. Location: Oregon Coast Range. Description: mistnet trapped by Donald Thomas, Universite de Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada.
      Myotis lucifugus call #3
      Date: summer 1995. Location: Teanaway, Washington Description: mistnet trapped by Mathew Frasier, University of Washington, Seattle
      Myotis lucifugus call #4
      Date: summer 1995. Location: Teanaway, Washington Description: mistnet trapped by Mathew Frasier, University of Washington, Seattle
      Myotis lucifugus call #5
      Date: summer 1995. Location: Teanaway, Washington Description: mistnet trapped by Mathew Frasier, University of Washington, Seattle

      Myotis volans (long-legged bat)

      Myotis volans call #1Date: summer 1992 Location: Chambers Lake, Fort Lewis, Washington Despription: Mistnet trapped by Laurie Wunder, Olympic National Forest Headquarters, Olympia, WA
      Myotis volans call #2
      Date: summer 1985 Location: Oregon Coast Range Description: mistnet trapped by Donald Thomas, Universite de Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
      Myotis volans call #3
      Date: summer 1985 Location: Oregon Coast Range Description: mistnet trapped by Donald Thomas, Universite de Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
      Myotis volans call #4
      Date: summer 1995. Location: Teanaway, Washington Description: mistnet trapped by Mathew Frasier, University of Washington, Seattle
      Myotis volans call #5
      Date: summer 1995. Location: Teanaway, Washington Description: mistnet trapped by Mathew Frasier, University of Washington, Seattle
      Myotis volans call #6
      Date: summer 1995. Location: Teanaway, Washington Description: mistnet trapped by Mathew Frasier, University of Washington, Seattle
      Myotis volans call #7
      Date: summer 1995. Location: Teanaway, Washington Description: mistnet trapped by Mathew Frasier, University of Washington, Seattle
      Myotis volans call #8
      Date: summer 1995. Location: Teanaway, Washington Description: mistnet trapped by Mathew Frasier, University of Washington, Seattle

      Myotis yumanensis (Yuma myotis)

      Myotis yumanensis call #1
      Date: summer 1992 Location: Chambers Lake, Fort Lewis, Washington Despription: Mistnet trapped by Laurie Wunder, Olympic National Forest Headquarters, Olympia, WA
      Myotis yumanensis call #2
      Date: summer 1992 Location: Chambers Lake, Fort Lewis, Washington Despription: Mistnet trapped by Laurie Wunder, Olympic National Forest Headquarters, Olympia, WA
      Myotis yumanensis call #3
      Date: summer 1995. Location: Teanaway, Washington Description: mistnet trapped by Mathew Frasier, University of Washington, Seattle

      Myotis ciliolabrum (Western small-footed myotis)

      Myotis ciliolabrum call #1
      Date: summer 1995. Location: Teanaway, Washington Description: mistnet trapped by Mathew Frasier, University of Washington, Seattle
      Myotis ciliolabrum call #2
      Date: summer 1995. Location: Teanaway, Washington Description: mistnet trapped by Mathew Frasier, University of Washington, Seattle

      Plecotus townsendii (Townsend's big-eared bat)

      Plecotus townsendii call #1
      Date: summer 1985 Location: Oregon Coast Range Description: mistnet trapped by Donald Thomas, Universite de Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada

      Lasiurus cinereus (Hoary bat)

      Lasiurus cinereus call #1
      Date: summer 1995. Location: Teanaway, Washington Description: mistnet trapped by Mathew Frasier, University of Washington, Seattle

      How to submit reference Calls

      All researchers are encouraged to contribute reference recordings to the library. Calls which meet the contribution requirements may be sent via disk or email to Janet Erickson (see address below).

      Additional Bat Call Libraries:

      South-eastern Australian Bat Call Library
      South Australian Bat Call Library
      New Mexico Bat Survey and Acoustic Library

      Copyrights:

      All files available in this library are for scientific and educational use only. The files are not to be sold or distributed for profit.

      Disclaimer:

      These files may not be commercially distributed, licensed, resold, or otherwise transferred for any consideration, or reproduced for any such commercial purposes. The files are provided to the user "as is". Neither the author nor the University of Washington give any warranties, either expressed or implied, with respect to the files, including but not limited to any warranty of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, nor warranty against infringement. Neither the author nor University of Washington shall be liable for any claims or damages whatsoever, including property damage, personal injury, intellectual property infringement, loss of profits, or interruption of business, or for any special, consequential or incidental damages however caused, whether from the use of these files or any files created with them.



      Reference calls may also be requested on disk or tape. Please send requests, comments, and suggestions to:

      Pacific Northwest Bat Call Library
      Janet Erickson
      College of Forest Resources,
      Box 352100
      University of Washington
      98195-2100
      206-543-7232