What Sounds Do Bats Make?

Hearing chirping, squeaking, or chittering noises at dusk or dawn?

You may be sharing your home with bats. Listen, compare, and learn what to do next.

What Do Bats Sound Like in the Attic?

• High-pitched chirping squeaking, and chittering
• Flapping or fluttering from wings
• Scratching or scurrying noises at dusk or dawn

Common Bat Vocal Noises

Bats have vocalizations to communicate. These vocalizations typically sound like squeaking or chittering sounds. You can hear these sounds at dusk or dawn when bats are most active.

Bats are small, nocturnal mammals that use echolocation to navigate and hunt for food at night. Bats emit a series of ultrasonic sounds (above 20 kHz) beyond the human range of hearing. Echolocation works like sonar. Bats use the echo to understand their environment. If you have a bat infestation, it is incredibly unlikely you will notice a problem because of echolocation. But bats do make other noises.

Like most mammals, bats have vocalizations to communicate. These vocalizations typically sound like squeaking or chittering sounds. You can hear these sounds at dusk or dawn when bats are most active.

During the summer, it is easy to mistake a bat infestation for birds. Baby bats make high-pitched chirps that sound very similar to birds.Bat chirps and squeaks are soft and high-pitched. Unless the bat colony is large or you happen to be in the attic, the bat noises are difficult to hear.

It is more likely to hear bat sounds created by movement. Bats leave every night at dusk to feed. They have to crawl to the bat exit hole. You can hear scratching and scurrying noises. You might mistake bat noises in the wall for mice; they sound so similar.

You could hear bats flying in the attic or the chimney. Flapping and fluttering noises are more often heard in chimneys.

Bat Sounds at Night

Residents most often hear bat sounds at night or in the early morning when the pests are either leaving or returning from their food search. The noises people can hear result from bats’ movements. As flying mammals, bats make fluttering noises with their wings. They also use their wings as hands to climb and crawl, so homeowners may hear scratching on walls.

Not a bat in the attic? Listen to animal in attic sound guide

Other Signs of a Bat Infestation

Bats are one of the hardest critters to hear. They are small, so they don’t make as much noise moving as compared to squirrels or raccoons. Their echolocations are at a high frequency that people cannot hear.

The most common sign of a bat infestation is a flying bat. People usually see the bats flying out of their houses at dusk. Another common sign is finding guano. Bats defecate where they roost and before they take off for the evening. So piles can be found in the attic and next to bat entry holes.

Bat Control & Removal

Infestations of bats are problematic because the pests spread diseases and damage property. For example, they knock things down while flying and defecate all over homes. The pests may carry rabies, and their droppings facilitate the growth of histoplasmosis. Hearing bat noises in the house should prompt homeowners to contact Wildlife Control as soon as possible. The trained professionals at Critter Control can remove bats efficiently and safely.

If you have noticed bat guano in your home, contact a professional to schedule bat removal. 

How Bat Exclusion Works

Bat exclusion must be completed in the correct order. Technicians first inspect the structure to
identify active entry points. When appropriate and legally permitted, one-way devices allow
bats to leave but prevent them from returning. Remaining openings are sealed only after the
bats are confirmed to be out.