NATURA SLOVENIAE 23(1): 45-46 Prejeto / Received: 6. 4. 2021 
FIELD NOTE Sprejeto / Accepted: 1. 7. 2021 
 
 
Biotehniška fakulteta Univerze v Ljubljani in Nacionalni inštitut za biologijo, Ljubljana, 2021 
The first find of Bechstein's bat 
Myotis bechsteinii (Kuhl, 1817) 
summer roost in Slovenia 
 
Prva najdba poletnega zatočišča 
velikouhega netopirja Myotis bechsteinii 
(Kuhl, 1817) v Sloveniji 
 
Matija MLAKAR MEDVED, Ulica Hermana  
Potočnika 17, SI-1000 Ljubljana;  
E-mail: matko.mlakar@gmail.com 
David KNEZ, Gornji Suhor pri Metliki 1, SI-8331 
Suhor; E-mail: david.knezdavid@gmail.com 
 
The Bechstein's bat (Myotis bechsteinii) is a medium 
sized bat, easily distinguished from other species of 
the genus Myotis due to its size (forearm length = 
39.0 – 47.1 mm) and remarkably large, over 20 mm 
long ears (Dietz & von Helversen 2004). The species 
is distributed in Western, Central and Eastern 
Europe, where it inhabits mature deciduous forests 
at different altitudes (Dietz & Kiefer 2016). The 
Bechstein’s bat is considered to be the most 
woodland dependent (Koselj 2009) out of 30 bat 
species currently living in Slovenia (Presetnik & 
Šalamun 2019). The distribution of the species in 
Slovenia is based mostly on mist-netting data from 
swarming sites at cave entrances. At the time when 
hibernating individuals were found on two 
occasions, no maternity or any other roosts were 
known in the country (CKFF 2021). This bat is 
known to roost in trunk crevices and tree holes, 
while roosts in buildings are scarce (Dietz & Kiefer 
2016).  
 
In July 2020 (17.7.–26.7.2020), the biological 
summer research camp (Raziskovalni tabor 
študentov biologije, RTŠB) was organised by the 
Biology Students’ Society (Društvo študentov 
biologije) at Gorenja vas in north-western Slovenia. 
Even though both authors worked as members of 
the Ornithological Group, we collected other records 
as well. On 25.7.2020, we examined the drainage 
pipes underneath a bridge over one of the 
intermittent torrents flowing into the Cerknica River. 
The 5 m long, 2 m wide and 4 m high concrete 
bridge is located on the asphalt road connecting the 
settlements Gorenji Novaki and Podpleče within the 
municipality of Cerkno (WGS 84 Lat./Long.: 
46.143583, 14.049306). 
 
We examined two vertical drainage pipes with a 
diameter of 5 cm and depth of about 30 cm. In one 
of them we found a bat, which could be identified 
visually as Bechstein’s bat (Fig. 1). We took a 
photograph and did not disturb the individual. 
 
 
Figure 1: Bechstein's bat (Myotis bechsteinii) at its roost, 
a drainage pipe underneath a bridge at Gorenji Novaki 
on 25.7.2020 (photo: D. Knez). 
Slika 1: Velikouhi netopir (Myotis bechsteinii) v zatočišču 
v odtočni cevi mostu v Gorenjih Novakih 25.7.2020 
(Foto: D. Knez) 
 
The presence of the species in the area was not 
surprising, as it had been mist-netted at a cave 
entrance about 10 km north several times before 
(Presetnik et al. 2020). The interesting aspect of the 
find is that it is the first summer roost of the 
Bechstein’s bat recorded in Slovenia. Furthermore, 
the bat utilized an artificially made roost, and not a 
tree crevice, where the species usually roosts (Dietz 
& Kiefer 2016). Some individuals of this species 
have also been reported from under bridges in 
Bulgaria, where they roosted not in drainage pipes, 
but in crevices between bricks (Petrov 2006). This 
makes our finding interesting for understanding the 
roosting ecology of the species in general.  
 
Acknowledgements 
 
We wish to thank Primož Presetnik for accessing the 
CKFF database and confirming our find as the first of its 
kind, and Jan Gojznikar for making some useful suggestions 
on improving this manuscript. We also thank DŠB for 
organising the student's camp, which enabled us to conduct 
the fieldwork.  
 
  
46 Matija MLAKAR MEDVED & David KNEZ: The first find of Bechstein's bat summer roost in Slovenia / FIELD NOTE 
 
NATURA SLOVENIAE 23(1): 45-46 
References 
 
CKFF (2021): Database of the Centre for 
Cartography of Fauna and Flora. Miklavž na 
Dravskem polju. [accessed on 29. 3. 2021]. 
Dietz C., von Helversen O. (2004): Illustrated 
identification key to the bats of Europe. 
Tuebingen & Erlangen (Germany). 
Dietz C., Kiefer A. (2016): Bats of Britain and 
Europe. Bloomsbury, London, New Delhi, New 
York, Sydney, 398 pp. 
Koselj K. (2009): Velikouhi netopir Myotis 
bechsteinii (Kuhl, 1817). In: Presetnik P., 
Koselj K., Zagmajster M. (Eds.), Atlas 
netopirjev (Chiroptera) Slovenije - Atlas of bats 
(Chiroptera) of Slovenia. Center za kartografijo 
favne in flore, Miklavž na Dravskem polju,  
pp. 64-65. 
Petrov, B.P. (2006): Distribution and status of 
Myotis bechsteinii in Bulgaria (Chiroptera: 
Vespertilionidae). Lynx, nová série. Praha: 
Národní muzeum, 37(1): 179-195. 
Presetnik P., Šalamun A. (2019): First records of the 
European free-tailed bat Tadarida teniotis 
(Rafinesque, 1814) in Slovenia. Nat. Slov. 
21(1): 47-53.  
Presetnik P., Zamolo A., Šalamun A. (2020): 
Monitoring populacij izbranih ciljnih vrst 
netopirjev v letih 2018–2020. Končno poročilo. 
Center za kartografijo favne in flore, Miklavž na 
Dravskem polju, 191 pp.