Several Brazilian free-tailed bat colonies are housed in caves across the Southwestern United States, particularly in Texas. Watching the bats fly out of the caves in their nightly search for food is a popular tourist activity.
The following are some bat colonies that have spectator areas:
• Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)
• Clarity Tunnel – Caprock Canyons State Park (Texas)
• Congress Avenue Bridge (Austin, TX)
• Devil’s Sinkhole State Natural Area (Texas)
• Eckert James River Bat Cave Preserve (Texas)
• Old Tunnel Wildlife Management Area (Texas)
• Stuart Bat Cave (Kickapoo Cavern State Park (Texas)
• Waugh Drive Bridge (Houston, TX)
USA Bat Flights Photo Gallery
“The Austin American-Statesman created the Statesman Bat Observation Center adjacent to the Congress Bridge, giving visitors a dedicated area to view the nightly emergence. It is estimated that more than 100,000 people visit the bridge to witness the bat flight, generating 10 million dollars in tourism revenue annually.”
Bat Conservation International, 4/1/16
Market Resources
American Birding Association, 1618 W. Colorado Avenue, Colorado Springs, CO 80904. (800) 850-2473. (www.aba.org)
Audubon, 225 Varick Street, New York, NY 10014. (212) 979-3000. (www.audubon.org)
Bat Conservation International, P.O. Box 162603, Austin, TX 78716. (512) 327-9721. (www.batcon.org)
North American Butterfly Association, 4 Delaware Road, Morristown, NJ 07960. (www.naba.org)
National Butterfly Center, 3333 Butterfly Park Drive, Mission, TX 78572.
(956) 583-5400. (www.nationalbutterflycenter.org)
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