Kansas Mammal Atlas

This species begins feeding early in the evening, and prefers openings among trees (especially areas bordering forests) and open fields where it searches for nocturnal insects. Sometimes an audible chirping call of this bat can be heard. Foraging activity exhibits two peaks, with a lull around midnight. The first peak occurs 2 to 4 hours after sunset, and the second, 2 to 6 hours later. Insects evidently are consumed based on their abundance, as most orders of insects are represented in the diet.

 
Owls seem to be the principal predators on silver-haired bats when they are foraging, but skunks have been reported to eat them also. Hoary bats have been reported to attack silver-haired bats. Another cause of mortality is collision with structures during migration. This species accululates organochlorine residues in areas where chemicals are sprayed. The strain of rabies associated with silver-haired bats has been the cause of 15 human deaths in the United States since 1983.

This bat is not known to produce young in Kansas although one pregnant female has been found in the state during migration. Mating evidently occurs in autumn, and sperm are stored in the uterus during winter. Ovulation and fertilization occur in late April or early May, followed by a gestation period of 50 to 60 days. Females give birth to 1 or (usually) 2 black and wrinkled young in June or early July. Only one litter is produced each year. The young bats nurse for approximately 36 days and can fly by the end of July.