Florida's Endangered Bat Finds Refuge in New Artificial Roosts

Researchers develop specialized bat boxes to attract and protect the rare Florida bonneted bat

Mar. 12, 2026 at 6:19am

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Researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, along with partners at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, have shown that Florida's endangered bonneted bats can be lured to and inhabit safer artificial bat roosts. The team set up three types of bat boxes, including a design with an external water jacket to buffer temperature changes, and broadcast acoustic lures to attract the bats. After 16 months, a single male bonneted bat settled into one of the water-jacket boxes, and 13 months later a harem colony had formed there.

Why it matters

The Florida bonneted bat is an endangered species with a dwindling population due to loss of natural roosting habitat in large, old trees. The development of effective artificial roosts could help protect this vulnerable bat and provide a safe alternative to bats moving into human homes, which often leads to conflicts with homeowners.

The details

The researchers set up three types of bat boxes - a flat-faced single-chamber design, a four-chambered "rocket box" design, and a rocket box with an external water jacket to buffer temperature changes. They also broadcast recordings of bonneted bat echolocation calls as acoustic lures from half the box clusters. After 16 months, a single male bonneted bat settled into one of the water-jacket rocket boxes, and 13 months later a harem colony had formed there, representing a significant portion of the estimated low hundreds to low thousands of Florida bonneted bats remaining.

  • The study was conducted over an 18-month period.
  • A single male bonneted bat settled into one of the water-jacket rocket boxes after 16 months.
  • A harem colony had formed in the same box 13 months after the conclusion of the 18-month study period.

The players

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

The university where the lead researchers are based and where the study was conducted.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

A partner organization that collaborated on the study.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

A partner organization that conducted long-term follow-up observations on the artificial roosts.

Joy O'Keefe

The senior author of the study and an associate professor in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Reed Crawford

The lead author of the study and a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

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What they’re saying

“Not all artificial roosts are created equal. Previous work in our lab has shown some bat boxes can be very dangerous for bats because they can't properly buffer against temperature swings. But this study demonstrates that bonneted bats will move into safer structures that mimic their natural roosts and maintain a stable thermal environment.”

— Joy O'Keefe, Associate Professor, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (Journal of Mammalogy)

“We know from our previous studies on microclimates in artificial roosts that the external water jacket provides much safer temperatures for these bats. Now we know they will use that box, so that could be a better alternative to the current artificial roost design that's being installed out there. And it's fairly straightforward to build.”

— Reed Crawford, Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (Journal of Mammalogy)

“When working with endangered species, long-term projects are very important, whereas studies like ours often amount to only one or two field seasons. But it took a long time to see results. We were fortunate to have our partners at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission following up three and four years post-deployment.”

— Reed Crawford, Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (Journal of Mammalogy)

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow Walker Reed Quinn out on bail.

The takeaway

This study demonstrates the importance of developing specialized artificial roosts that can provide a safe and stable thermal environment for endangered bat species like the Florida bonneted bat, which is struggling to find suitable natural roosting habitat. The long-term monitoring and collaboration with conservation partners were also key to understanding the bats' slow but eventual adoption of the new roosts.