PIPISTRELLE

(genus Pipistrellus), any of about 40 to 50 species of bats of the common bat family, Vespertilionidae, found in almost all parts of the world. Pipistrelles are grayish, brown, reddish, or black bats about 3.510 cm (1.44 inches) long, not including the tail, which may be 2.5 to 6 cm long. Erratic fliers, they appear before most other bats in the evening and sometimes fly about even during the day. Representatives include P. pipistrellus of Eurasia and the eastern (P. subflavus) and western (P. hesperus) pipistrelles of North America.