August 29 - Bat Night in Bulgaria
29 August 2025
The European Night of Bats is about to be celebrated, which in our country takes place on August 29th. The Night of Bats has been celebrated on the last weekend of August since 1997 and started with the signing of the Agreement for the Conservation of Bats in Europe (EUROBATS). In 1997, 14 European countries participated, today it is already an international event with the annual participation of more than 30 countries around the world. Bulgaria joined the Agreement in 1999.
Regarded as bloodsuckers and fearsome nocturnal creatures, bats often remain misunderstood and distant from modern man. This in itself speaks of the need to talk about them more and to bring their lives out of the darkness of the night into the light of understanding and acceptance.
These flying mammals are highly vulnerable and endangered, but at the same time they are extremely useful for maintaining ecosystems. In fact, they are an indicator of the state of a given ecosystem, since their populations develop well only in healthy and stable habitats. In order to preserve and conserve bats, it is necessary to take into account some of the most common factors affecting their populations. These are mainly: loss of hiding places and habitats; increased use of pesticides in agriculture, which kill the insects on which bats depend for food; impact of wind turbines; increasing light pollution and a number of others.
There are 33 species of bats in Bulgaria that are insectivorous. Depending on their species preferences, most of them inhabit forests, others prefer caves, but there are also species that live in populated areas. During the nesting period, when females give birth and raise their young, and in winter, when they hibernate, bats gather in colonies. Depending on the habitat, the size of the colonies can reach up to 100,000 individuals (for example, in caves). Feeding mainly at dusk and at night, they emit ultrasounds that help them navigate in the complete darkness of the night and catch their prey without fail.
Within the Central Balkan National Park, 18 species of bats from 3 families have been identified (more than half of those found in the country). All species are included in the EU Habitats Directive and in the Annexes to the Bern and Bonn Conventions, as well as in the list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and 16 of them are included in the Red Book of Bulgaria.
Regarded as bloodsuckers and fearsome nocturnal creatures, bats often remain misunderstood and distant from modern man. This in itself speaks of the need to talk about them more and to bring their lives out of the darkness of the night into the light of understanding and acceptance.
These flying mammals are highly vulnerable and endangered, but at the same time they are extremely useful for maintaining ecosystems. In fact, they are an indicator of the state of a given ecosystem, since their populations develop well only in healthy and stable habitats. In order to preserve and conserve bats, it is necessary to take into account some of the most common factors affecting their populations. These are mainly: loss of hiding places and habitats; increased use of pesticides in agriculture, which kill the insects on which bats depend for food; impact of wind turbines; increasing light pollution and a number of others.
There are 33 species of bats in Bulgaria that are insectivorous. Depending on their species preferences, most of them inhabit forests, others prefer caves, but there are also species that live in populated areas. During the nesting period, when females give birth and raise their young, and in winter, when they hibernate, bats gather in colonies. Depending on the habitat, the size of the colonies can reach up to 100,000 individuals (for example, in caves). Feeding mainly at dusk and at night, they emit ultrasounds that help them navigate in the complete darkness of the night and catch their prey without fail.
Within the Central Balkan National Park, 18 species of bats from 3 families have been identified (more than half of those found in the country). All species are included in the EU Habitats Directive and in the Annexes to the Bern and Bonn Conventions, as well as in the list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and 16 of them are included in the Red Book of Bulgaria.
