Savi's pipistrelle
Hypsugo savii
Adriano Losso · Provincia di Belluno
Key facts in one look
- Size
- 5–9 g, forearm 31–38 mm
- Diet
- Insectivore, hunts in the air
- Status in Georgia
- Poorly studied, 23 records
- Habitat
- Cliffs, gorges, waterside
- Family
- Vespertilionidae
- Conservation
- DD / LC
Savi's pipistrelle is a mountain bat: it lives from sea level up to 3000 m and spends the day in narrow rock crevices. It is small, 5–9 g, with a dark back, golden tips and a strikingly pale belly. The female usually gives birth not to one young but to twins. In Georgia it has more than twenty records since 1887, from the Colchis coast to Tbilisi, Sabereebi and Tusheti. Data on it in the country are still insufficient.
Identification
Savi's pipistrelle: how to identify it
A small bat with a dark brown back tipped golden or yellowish and a whitish-grey belly. The contrast between back and belly is sharp, especially on the chin, throat and chest. The face, ears and wing membranes are black. It resembles the particoloured bat and the northern bat.
Head and body 40–55 mm, tail 31–43 mm, forearm 31–38 mm, weight 5–9 g. The last two tail vertebrae stick out beyond the membrane. The tail is noticeably longer than in related species.
The back fur is long and dark, but its colour is very variable: from blackish to pale brown, with golden or yellowish tips. The belly is sharply paler, whitish grey. The skin is very dark. The ears are short, broad and black, and the lobe inside the ear, the tragus, is fairly broad.
The particoloured bat looks similar with its two-tone coat but is much larger. The northern bat is also dark with a golden sheen, but bigger, with a forearm of 37–44 mm. Size can only be measured on a bat in the hand, so this is a job for a specialist.
Its echolocation call lasts about 16 milliseconds, with the strongest frequency at 30–35 kHz. This is higher than the northern bat's call and overlaps slightly with Kuhl's pipistrelle. Its flight is straighter and faster than in other pipistrelles, with few changes of direction.
Savi's pipistrelle is a bat of mountains and cliffs, although it occurs anywhere from sea level up to 3000 m. It favours cliffs, gorges, karst country and mosaics of scrub and fields. It is abundant over water and riverside woodland but rare inside dense forest. It spends the day in narrow, vertical rock crevices, under bark or in buildings. It also hunts in town gardens and parks. In Georgia it has more than twenty records since 1887, from sea level up to about 1650 m. It has been found in Tbilisi, in Vake and Mushtaidi Park, at Lisi Lake, on the Kvernaki ridge, near Didgori, at the Sabereebi cave complex and in the Liakhvi reserve. In the west, records come from Kolkheti National Park and Shuakhevi, and in the high mountains from the Tushetian Alazani, between Omalo and Shenako.
The Savi's pipistrelle map combines public iNaturalist observations. Regions are taken from the records-by-region table, and the status column separates regions with enough records from regions with too few records. Record counts reflect observation effort rather than population density. Records are still too few: no region has enough records yet.
Data: Reptiles.ge + iNaturalist · Methodology
- Field observation
- Several records in one spot
- Region with records
Savi's pipistrelle catches insects only in the air. It eats mainly moths, wasps and their relatives, and flies, and fewer beetles, lacewings and other insects. On pastures, leafhoppers are important food for it, and in forests swarms of flying ants. It hunts alone or in small groups, 2–100 m above the ground, around street lamps, along cliffs and over water. It drinks by flying low over the water surface and scooping water with its tongue.
Savi's pipistrelle emerges right after sunset, sometimes even earlier. It is most active in the first and last part of the night, but it can hunt all night if needed. It spends the winter in underground sites, deep rock crevices and cave entrances, usually alone. It probably migrates, although this has not been firmly confirmed. Maternity colonies hold a few dozen females; the largest known numbered up to 70 animals. They settle in long, narrow rock crevices. Females give birth from early June to late July, usually to twins. Mating takes place in August and September.
In Georgia the status of Savi's pipistrelle could not be set in the 2021 national assessment because of a lack of data (DD), and its population trend is unknown. Globally it is not threatened (LC, 2016), and its numbers are stable. In Europe, especially around the Mediterranean, it is fairly common, and over the last 30 years it has been spreading into central Europe. In the eastern part of its range, which includes the Caucasus, its density is low. No direct threats are known apart from pesticides and building renovation. In Georgia, research is still needed to assess it.
Related guides
Continue with related pages
In a range of places, from sea level up to about 1650 m. It has been found in Kolkheti National Park, Shuakhevi, Tbilisi, at Lisi Lake, at Sabereebi, in the Liakhvi reserve and in Tusheti. It has more than twenty records in all. Its distribution in the country is not well studied.
By its dark, golden-tipped back and sharply pale belly. Its face and ears are black, and the ears short and broad. It weighs 5–9 g and is smaller than the particoloured bat and the northern bat. A specialist confirms the exact species, so do not catch the bat yourself.
Flying insects, which it catches in the air. Mainly moths, wasps and their relatives, including flying ants, and flies. On pastures it also eats leafhoppers. It often hunts around street lamps and over water.
No, it is not venomous and does not attack you. But do not touch any bat with bare hands, because rabies cannot be ruled out by looks. If a bat bites or scratches you, wash the spot with soap and water for at least 15 minutes and see a doctor at once. In an emergency, call 112.
In Georgia its status could not be assessed because of a lack of data (DD). Globally it is not threatened (LC, 2016), and its numbers are stable. The only known threats are pesticides and building renovation. In Georgia, research is needed to find out how it is doing.
References
What this profile is based on
Species profiles are compiled from peer-reviewed literature and established biodiversity databases, and are reviewed as new taxonomic and conservation data become available.
Prepared by the Reptiles.ge editorial team from the sources listed here.
