O’SHEA, CRYAN & BOGAN: UNITED STATES BAT SPECIES OF CONCERN 
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Corynorhinus townsendii — Townsend’s big-eared bat (Family Vespertilionidae) 
Conservation Status.— The federal conservation status of Townsend’s big-eared bat varies 
with subspecies (see “Distribution and Systematics” below). The Virginia big-eared bat (C. 
townsendii virginianus) and the Ozark big-eared bat (C. townsendii ingens) subspecies are listed as 
Endangered (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1979) and are not considered in detail in this account. 
Conservation status designations for the species exclusive of the Ozark and Virginia subspecies are 
given below. 
National and International Designations: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (1994, 1996a,b): 
Species of Concern (inactive, former Category 2 candidate for listing under the U.S. Endangered 
Species Act). U.S. Forest Service (2005a,b): Sensitive Species. Bureau of Land Management 
(2009a,b, 2010a,b,c, 2011a,b, 2015a,b, 2017): Sensitive Species (Arizona, California, Colorado, 
Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, 
Wyoming state offices). International Union for the Conservation of Nature (2017): Least Concern. 
NatureServe (2017): Species Rounded Global Status G4, Apparently Secure; subspecies 
C. townsendii townsendii and C. townsendii pallescens : Rounded Global Status T3, Vulnerable. 
State Designations: Arizona Game and Fish Department (2012): Tier IB Species of Greatest 
Conservation Need, C. townsendii pallescens. California Division of Fish and Wildlife (2015a,b,c): 
Candidate for listing as state Threatened, Special Animals List, Species of Special Concern. 
Colorado Parks and Wildlife (2015a, 2015b): State Special Concern, Species of Greatest Conser¬ 
vation Need Tier I, C. townsendii pallescens. Idaho Department of Fish and Game (2005, 2015): 
Species of Greatest Conservation Need Tier 3. Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism 
(2005; Rohweder 2015): Species of Greatest Conservation Need Tier I (designated in 2005), Tier 
II (designated in 2015). Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks (2005, 2015a,b): Species of Greatest 
Concern, Species of Greatest Conservation Need. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission (2011): 
Tier II At-Risk Species. Nevada Department of Wildlife (2013): Sensitive Mammal. Nevada 
Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (2015a): Imperiled. North Dakota Game and 
Fish (Dyke et al., 2015): Species of Conservation Priority Level I. Oklahoma Department of 
Wildlife Conservation (2005, 2016): Species of Greatest Conservation Need Tier II, C. townsendii 
pallescens. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (2005, 2008) Sensitive Species, Critical. 
South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks (2014): Species of Greatest Conservation Need. Texas Parks 
and Wildlife (2012): Species of Greatest Conservation Need, C. townsendii australis. Utah Divi¬ 
sion of Wildlife Resources (2015; Sutter et al., 2005): Species of Greatest Conservation Need. 
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (2015a,b): Species of Concern, Candidate for State 
Listing as Threatened or Endangered, Species of Greatest Conservation Need. Wyoming Game and 
Fish Department (2017a,b): Species of Greatest Conservation Need, Tier II. 
Description. — Townsend’s big-eared bat (Fig. 9) is fairly distinctive among U.S. bats based 
on the very large ears, which are similar only to those of Rafinesque’s big-eared bat, the spotted 
bat, and Allen’s big-eared bat. Pelage coloration in Townsend’s big-eared bat varies from pale 
cinnamon to blackish brown at the hair tips dorsally, and brownish or buff ventrally (Kunz and 
Martin, 1982). The spotted bat has a blackish dorsal pelage with large white spots, in contrast to 
the more uniform brownish-gray coloration of Townsend’s big-eared bat. Allen’s big-eared bat, 
found only in the southwestern U.S., has a similar pelage to the Townsend’s big-eared bat but dif¬ 
fers in that it has a “lappet”, or fleshy lobe extending across the forehead between the ears. 
Townsend’s big-eared bat has two large lumps (pararhinal glands) on the face between the nostrils 
and the eyes. Rafinesque’s big-eared bat, found primarily in the southeastern U.S., is most similar 
to Townsend’s big-eared bat, but has sharply contrasting color differences between the bases and 
