Congress Avenue Bridge Bat Colony
Historic Bridge · Austin, Texas
Up to about 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats roost in the expansion crevices under the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge in downtown Austin and pour out at dusk in a column that takes half an hour or more to clear — described as the largest urban bat colony in North America. The 1980 reconstruction of the 1910 bridge accidentally created near-perfect roosting gaps, and Austin went from wanting them exterminated to putting them on the merchandise.
South Congress Avenue at Lady Bird Lake, Austin, Texas, 78704, United States
FREE, no ticket, nightly in season — roughly mid-March to early November. Emergence around sunset, generally within 30 minutes either side. Best mid-March to mid-April and late July to mid-September; THIN from late May to mid-July (maternity lull). Cold, wind, rain or a bright moon can suppress the flight entirely.
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