Urban noise pollution disrupts bat echolocation, affecting foraging efficiency and communication in ways that have welfare implications for urban bat populations.
Urban bat welfare is affected by both noise and light pollution that interfere with echolocation and circadian rhythms. Noise that masks echolocation returns forces bats to work harder for equivalent foraging success, increasing energy expenditure. Light pollution delays emergence until darker conditions, reducing foraging time. Both effects can compromise body condition, particularly in lactating females and growing juveniles. The cumulative welfare cost of urban sensory pollution on bats is relatively small per individual compared to physical threats like white-nose syndrome, but affects large numbers of animals in increasingly urbanized landscapes.