Greater noctule bat
Nyctalus lasiopterus (Schreber, 1780)
The greater noctule bat (Nyctalus lasiopterus) is a species in the family Vespertilionidae, order Chiroptera. Recorded adults weigh 46 g to 49.7 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Vulnerable.
Quick facts about the greater noctule bat
- Weight
- 46 g – 49.7 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Diet
- Invertivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- Not recorded
- Young per litter or clutch
- 1.82src for Young per litter or clutch
- Active
- At night (nocturnal)src for Active
- Lifestyle
- Aerialsrc for Lifestyle
- Conservation status
- Vulnerable (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Photos of the greater noctule bat
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
Where does the greater noctule bat live?
Not recorded
What is the greater noctule bat?
The greater noctule bat (Nyctalus lasiopterus) is a rare carnivorous bat found in Europe, West Asia, and North Africa. It is the largest and least studied bat in Europe with a wingspan of up to 46 centimetres (18 in) and is one of the few bat species to feed on passerine birds. Greater noctule bats are the only bat species to hunt birds on the wing rather than when roosting. The greater noctule bat has wings adapted for open-air hunting and uses echolocation frequencies above the hearing range of birds.
From the Wikipedia article “Greater noctule bat” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Greater_noctule_bat&oldid=1376915354), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the greater noctule bat endangered?
The greater noctule bat is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List: it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Vulnerable species. What the categories mean.
How is the greater noctule bat classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classMammalia
- orderChiroptera
- familyVespertilionidae
- genusNyctalus
- SpeciesNyctalus lasiopterus (Schreber, 1780)
Synonyms Nyctalus maximus, Nyctalus sicula, Vespertilio lasiopterus, Vespertiloi lasiopterus
Other names and names in other languages (10)
- Giant noctuleEnglish
- Giant noctuleEnglish
- Giant noctuleEnglish
- Greater noctuleEnglish
- Greater noctuleEnglish
- RiesenabendseglerGerman
- Nóctulo GrandeSpanish
- Grande NoctuleFrench
- Nottola giganteItalian
- Grote rosse vleermuisDutch
Relatives of the greater noctule bat
Other species in the same genus Nyctalus.
Common noctule
Nyctalus noctula
Lesser noctule
Nyctalus leisleri
Birdlike noctule
Nyctalus aviator
Azores noctule
Nyctalus azoreum
Mountain noctule
Nyctalus montanus
Chinese noctule
Nyctalus plancyi
CompareGreater noctule bat vs Common noctuleGreater noctule bat vs Lesser noctuleGreater noctule bat vs Birdlike noctuleGreater noctule bat vs Azores noctule
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the greater noctule bat?
An adult greater noctule bat weighs 46 g – 49.7 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Is the greater noctule bat endangered?
The greater noctule bat is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, meaning it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.
What kind of animal is the greater noctule bat?
The greater noctule bat (Nyctalus lasiopterus) belongs to the family Vespertilionidae in the order Chiroptera.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals · CC0 1.0 · 1.0
Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1 - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Greater noctule bat (Nyctalus lasiopterus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/greater-noctule-bat
“Greater noctule bat (Nyctalus lasiopterus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/greater-noctule-bat.
@misc{greater_noctule_bat_2026,
title = {Greater noctule bat (Nyctalus lasiopterus)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/greater-noctule-bat},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}