(Pipistrellus pygmaeus)
The Soprano Pipistrelle is one of Britain's most familiar bats, often seen darting through the evening sky in pursuit of tiny flying insects. It looks almost identical to the Common Pipistrelle, and for many years the two were considered a single species. It took detailed research into their calls and genetics to reveal that two different bats had been hiding in plain sight.
The pipistrelle split: how two species were discovered
Until the 1990s, the Common Pipistrelle and Soprano Pipistrelle were generally treated as one species. Bat researchers had noticed differences between pipistrelles, including the sounds they made, but it took further investigation to establish that these were two distinct species.
Research during the early 1990s found consistent differences in their echolocation calls and genetic make-up. The evidence showed that what had been grouped together as the Common Pipistrelle was actually two separate species. By 1999, the Soprano Pipistrelle was recognised as a distinct species in its own right.
It was an important discovery. Two bats could look almost indistinguishable to the casual observer yet be different species with their own ecological preferences.
How do you tell a Soprano Pipistrelle from a Common Pipistrelle?
In everyday garden watching, you probably can't identify one confidently by sight alone. Both are tiny, fast-flying bats with brown fur, and both hunt small insects around gardens, buildings and trees.
There are a couple of differences worth knowing:
- Echolocation calls: the Soprano Pipistrelle's calls typically peak around 55 kHz, compared with around 45 kHz for the Common Pipistrelle. A suitable bat detector can help experienced observers distinguish them.
- Appearance: the Soprano Pipistrelle often has a paler, pinkish face, but this is not a reliable identification feature on its own.
- Habitat: Soprano Pipistrelles are often associated with wetlands, rivers and other places where flying insects are plentiful. However, they also use gardens and a wide range of other habitats.
These are useful clues, not a guarantee. If you see a tiny bat twisting across your garden at dusk, it's perfectly reasonable to record it as a pipistrelle without trying to decide which species it is.
Where can you find Soprano Pipistrelles?
Soprano Pipistrelles are widespread across much of the UK, although they are absent from the very northern parts of Scotland. They roost in sheltered spaces in buildings and trees, as well as in bat boxes, and often forage along woodland edges and over water.
Like other bats, they depend on plentiful insect prey and safe places to roost. Keeping gardens rich in insects, retaining hedges and trees, reducing unnecessary outdoor lighting and protecting potential roosts can all help support them.
Read more about pipistrelles
For a fuller account of pipistrelle behaviour, diet, roosting and seasonal activity, read our Common Pipistrelle Identification, Habitat & Food Guide. Much of that natural history applies to both species, so there's little need to repeat it here.
For help identifying other bats, visit our UK Bat Identification Guide.
