A different home through the year
Vive Cabeceiras · Morcegos · biologia e observação gerais, sem localização de abrigos

For a bat, shelter and season are connected.

Bats’ needs change throughout the year. The ICNB guide explains that many species use different roosts: their resting place need not always be the same. In maternity colonies, females and young gather during a stage that ends when the young become independent.

Hibernation meets another challenge: saving energy in winter. Body temperature and the organism’s activity decrease. These are general biological explanations, not a calendar of roost occupation in Cabeceiras or a description of every species.

For observation, Morcegos.pt suggests dusk, while some light remains, and recommends avoiding shining lights at the animals. We can watch their flight from a safe public space, without entering roosts or trying to touch bats.

Sources and context
ICNB / Luisa Rodrigues — I have bats at home, what should I do? (2008), pp. 3 and18; archive ICNF
https://www.icnf.pt/api/file/doc/af41be7670149282
Accessed: 2026-11-07
Bats.pt — As noted, general observation guidelines
https://www.morcegos.pt/os-morcegos/como-observar
Accessed: 2026-11-07

Editorial summary. The date of consultation is not the date of the facts.
Text and recipe, when available. Photos, activities and updates on the page:
https://vivecabeceiras.pt/en/descobrir/terra-viva/?leitura=morcegos-ano-abrigos#morcegos-ano-abrigos