American Leaf-Nosed Bats: Phyllostomidae

These bats are also called New World leafnosed bats because of where they are found. The New World is made up of North America, Central America, and South America. American leaf-nosed bats are found in the southwestern United States south to northern Argentina, the West Indies, and central Chile.

Most American leaf-nosed bats live in the forest. They can live in forests that range from the dry to the tropical (hot and humid). Some species live in deserts. Many species roost (settle or rest) in caves or the hollows of trees. Other roosts include hollow logs, under tree roots, mines, tree foliage, and houses. Some species form tents out of leaves, settling under the tent for protection and rest.

American leaf-nosed bats eat a broad range of foods and groups in the family are generally categorized by diet. Most species eat animals, with the smaller species eating insects and other arthropods (a group of invertebrates that have a segmented body and jointed limbs) and the larger species feeding on frogs, lizards, birds, and other bats. Other species eat nectar and fruit. Some bats frequently eat insects and fruit. Just three species feed on blood.

Out of the seventy-one listed species, the 2003 IUCN Red List categorizes four species as Endangered (facing a very high risk of extinction, or dying out, in the wild) and twenty-five species as Vulnerable (facing a high risk of extinction in the wild).