It's #BatAppreciationDay! We have 18 species in the UK, including the pipistrelle in this picture! Bats get a bad rap, but did you know they're actually really important?! #Thread👇👇 
1. They're pest controllers! All bats in the UK only eat insects, and they eat thousands of them every night!
2. They help us track changes in biodiversity! In the UK, some bats are used as in 'indicator species' by DEFRA to help measure targets around the population size of important species or the area of land managed for wildlife.
3. Bats are pollinators! Around the world over 500 different plant species rely on bats to pollinate their flowers - including some species of mango!
On our reserves we’ve recorded 16 of the known bat species found regularly in the UK! RSPB Ayelsbeare Common in Devon has the highest number of bat species (13), and the rarest bat found on our reserves is the Grey long-eared Bat at @RSPBArne!
To learn more about these incredible creatures, you should go visit our friends at @_BCT_ 🦇🦇
