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Congress Bridge Bats

Home to the largest urban bat colony in North America, estimated at 1.5 million bats.

Austin, Texas

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Crowds gather to watch the bats fly out as the sun sets.   Peter Potrowl/CC BY 3.0
  User submitted
  marypmadigan/CC BY 2.0
  youngandwithit/CC BY-ND 2.0
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No bats were out. Roughly November through February, when the large colony migrates south for warmer weather, though some bats might linger into early November or appear in late be February/early March with warm spells.   LisaUSA / Atlas Obscura User
  jyackabonis / Atlas Obscura User
  vespera66 / Atlas Obscura User
Bat mural on the bridge   sbmeaper1/Public Domain
  notoriousFIG / Atlas Obscura User
  thegenxjourney / Atlas Obscura User
  thegenxjourney / Atlas Obscura User
  jyackabonis / Atlas Obscura User
  jyackabonis / Atlas Obscura User
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About

The Congress Avenue Bridge, which spans Lady Bird Lake, formerly Town Lake, in downtown Austin, is home to one of the largest urban bat colonies in North America.

The colony is estimated at 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats. Each night from mid-March to November, the bats emerge from under the bridge at dusk to blanket the sky as they head out to forage for food. This event has become one of the most spectacular and unusual tourist attractions in Texas.

The most impressive bat flights happen on hot, dry August nights when multiple columns of bats emerge. There are several points from which to view these events, and an information kiosk is located on the north bank of the river, just east of the bridge.

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Published

February 9, 2010

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