What makes a bat that lives in a forest a ”forest bat”? Possible criteria for ranking a bat species as a ”forest bat” include the extent to which it uses forests for roosting and for foraging. The following graph outlines such a ranking. In Central Europe, Bechstein’s bat is the species most dependent on forest habitats to provide roost sites and foraging grounds in summer. Research results clearly show that not all forests are the same: a well-structured deciduous or mixed deciduous forest seems to meet the demands of this species best. But none of our bats uses the forest exclusively. 

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