Honolulu, Hawaiʻi – The Hawaiian hoary bat, or ʻōpeʻapeʻa, is an endangered species and Hawaiʻi’s official state land mammal. Residents now have an opportunity to assist biologists in tracking and understanding where these bats live by reporting sightings online through a citizen science platform.
The public can report bat sightings on iNaturalist, a free online platform and mobile app that allows users to record and share their observations. To help, simply tag an observation as “Hawaiian hoary bat” and upload data about the location of your sighting. While observations can be recorded at any time of year, they are especially helpful during August through October, which is the bat’s pupping season when young bats are most active and learning to fly.
The ʻōpeʻapeʻa do not live in caves or human structures like attics. They are typically solitary creatures that roost in trees, flying up to 12 miles a night over their territories to silently hunt for flying insects around dusk and dawn. Females often have twins, which they tuck into a crook of a tree while they forage.
Other ways residents can help protect the ʻōpeʻapeʻa include:
- Keep cats indoors: Sleeping bats or pups left by a mother while she hunts have no defense against cats.
- Avoid trimming trees: Refrain from trimming trees between June 1 and September 15, as this is the period when pups are most likely to be present in nests.
- Point lights down: Use low-wattage lighting at home and point lights downward to prevent ʻōpeʻapeʻa from flying into large windows while hunting moths, which are their favorite food.
For more information about ʻōpeʻapeʻa, residents can visit the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife’s ʻOpeʻapeʻa page, which includes a link to the iNaturalist platform, educational flyers, and an original music video about the bats.