1.5 Million Bats
Every Sunset

Every evening from March through October, approximately 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats emerge from under the Congress Avenue Bridge in downtown Austin. This is the largest urban bat colony in North America.

The bats took up residence after a 1980 renovation created ideal crevices for roosting. Each bat can eat up to 30,000 insects per night, providing natural pest control worth millions of dollars annually.

Peak season is late July through August when the colony swells to maximum size with newly-flying pups. The emergence creates a spectacular dark ribbon across the sunset sky that can last up to 45 minutes.