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{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2013}}
{{Taxobox
| name = Lesser noctule/Leisler's bat
| status = LC | status_system = IUCN
| image = Nyctalus leisleri.jpg
| image_width = 240px
| regnum = [[Animal]]ia
| phylum = [[Chordata]]
| classis = [[Mammal]]ia
| ordo = [[Chiroptera]]
| familia = [[Vespertilionidae]]
| genus = ''[[Nyctalus]]''
| species = '''''N. leisleri'''''
| binomial = ''Nyctalus leisleri''
| binomial_authority = ([[Heinrich Kuhl|Kuhl]], 1817)
| range_map = Mapa Nyctalus leisleri.png
}}
The '''lesser noctule''' or '''Leisler's bat''' (''Nyctalus leisleri'') is a species of [[bat]] belonging to the [[vesper bat]] family, Vespertilionidae.

== Description ==
It is a medium-sized bat, slightly smaller than the [[common noctule]]. It has a length of 48 to 68 mm (head and body) and a wingspan of 260 to 330 mm. The forearm measures 38 to 47 mm and the bat's weight is 11 to 20 grams. The face, ears and wings are dark. The fur is brown, darker at the base than the tip unlike that of the common noctule which is the same colour all along its length. The undersides of the arms are hairy giving it the alternative name "hairy-armed bat". The ears are short and rounded with a mushroom-shaped [[tragus (ear)|tragus]]. The wings are long and narrow.

==Distribution==
The lesser noctule is found locally across [[Europe]] and western [[Asia]], eastwards as far as the [[Urals]] and [[Himalayas]]. It is also found in north-west [[Africa]], the [[Canary Islands]] and [[Madeira]]. The form in the [[Azores]] is often considered to be a separate species - [[Azores noctule]] (''Nyctalus azoreum'').

It is typically found in [[forest]]s, both coniferous and deciduous, but has also adapted to parkland and urban areas and frequently roosts in buildings.

In most parts of its range, the lesser noctule is rare but in [[Ireland]] it is much more common. In [[Great Britain|Britain]] it is known from a few colonies in [[England]] and [[Wales]] with occasional wanderers reaching [[Scotland]]. Threats to its survival include declines in large [[insect]]s, loss of forest and hollow trees and toxic chemicals found in [[wood preservation|treated timber]] in buildings.

== Feeding ==
The bats emerge soon after sunset to feed on flying insects such as [[moth]]s and [[beetle]]s. They fly straight and fast with shallow dives, often at treetop level. They sometimes feed around [[streetlights]], catching the insects attracted to them. They are most active around dusk and dawn and will travel up to 10 km while [[foraging]].

== Reproduction ==
Lesser noctules usually breed in small colonies of around 20 to 50 individuals but in Ireland they can be much larger. The colony is usually in a hollow tree or building; [[nest box|bat boxes]] may sometimes be used. The females give birth to one or two young with twins being more common in the eastern part of the range.

== Echolocation ==
The frequencies used by this bat species for [[Animal echolocation|echolocation]] lie between 25–54 kHz, have most energy at 29 kHz and have an average duration of 8.5 ms.<ref>Parsons, S. and Jones, G. (2000) 'Acoustic identification of twelve species of echolocating bat by discriminant function analysis and artificial neural networks.' ''J Exp Biol''., '''203''': 2641-2656.</ref><ref>Obrist, M.K., Boesch, R. and Flückiger, P.F. (2004) 'Variability in echolocation call design of 26 Swiss bat species: Consequences, limits and options for automated field identification with a synergic pattern recognition approach.' ''Mammalia''., '''68''' (4): 307-32.</ref>

== Other ==
The species was named to honour the naturalist [[Johann Philipp Achilles Leisler]]

== References ==
[[File:vesperugo leisleri ras.jpg|thumb]]
* {{IUCN2006|assessor=Chiroptera Specialist Group|year=1996|id=14919|title=Nyctalus leisleri|downloaded=5 December 2006}}
*Frank Greenaway & A. M. Hudson (1990) ''A Field Guide to British Bats'', Bruce Coleman Books, Uxbridge
*Wilfried Schober & Eckard Grimmberger (1993) ''Hamlyn Guide: Bats of Britain and Europe'', Hamlyn, London.
*R. E. Stebbings & Francesca Griffith (1986) ''Distribution and Status of Bats in Europe'', Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Huntingdon.
*S. Zera & P. Myers (2004) [http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Nyctalus_leisleri.html ''Nyctalus leisleri''], Animal Diversity Web. Accessed 5 December 2006.
<references/>

== External links ==
{{wikispecies|Nyctalus leisleri}}
*[http://www.arkive.org/species/ARK/mammals/Nyctalus_leisleri/ ARKive] Photographs
*[http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/INFD-6K3CXY Woodland Management For Bats Guide]

{{Vespertilionidae|V.|P.}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Vesper bats]]
[[Category:Bats of Europe]]
[[Category:Mammals of Russia]]
[[Category:Mammals of Kazakhstan]]
[[Category:Mammals of Turkey]]
[[Category:Mammals of Azerbaijan]]
[[Category:Mammals of the Middle East|Noctule, Lesser]]
[[Category:Mammals of Turkmenistan]]
[[Category:Mammals of Pakistan]]
[[Category:Mammals of North Africa]]
[[Category:Fauna of Madeira]]
[[Category:Mammals of the Canary Islands]]

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Lesser noctule - Revision history

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Tom.Reding: Fix :Category:CS1 maint: Uses authors parameter: vauthors/veditors or enumerate multiple authors/editors/assessors; WP:GenFixes on using AWB