Greater Horseshoe Bat - Status in Britain

Status in Britain

The species is rare in Britain, confined to just a small number of sites. Its distribution can be found on the National Biodivesity website here . Its breeding sites include Brockley Hall Stables near Bristol, Iford Manor near Bath, and Littledean Hall in the Forest of Dean. Its winter hibernation sites include Banwell Caves and Compton Martin Ochre Mine in the Mendip Hills, Chilmark Quarries in Wiltshire, and Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines near Bath. In Dorset, the species roosts at Bryanston, Creech Grange and in Belle Vue Quarry. The species also occurs at Berry Head in Devon and has a monitored roost site at Woodchester Mansion in Stroud.

The species has disappeared from over half of its former range within the United Kingdom, with about 1% of the population surviving. Like all horseshoe bats it is sensitive to disturbance, and is threatened by the use of insecticides and the elimination of beetles by the changing agricultural practices.

There are seventeen recorded species of bat in Britain as of recent survey results.The greater horseshoe bat is one of the rarest. There are currently 35 recognised maternity and all-year roosts and 369 hibernation sites. Current estimates range between 4000 and 6600 individuals. Greater Horseshoes have declined for numerous reasons ranging from the use of agrichemicals (Ivermectin in particular) to loss of habitat and redundancy of farming methods. Avermectin kills off insect larvae and thus a decrease in the abundance of food for the Horseshoes, causing them to travel further and face increased dangers. Habitat loss is primarily the lack of established hedgerows and deciduous woodland-pasture ecotones. Modern farming methods have seen the reduction of cattle-grazing and this has impacted the Horseshoes who previously found that dung attracted insects and sustained entomogenous populations, giving their prey a stable population.