Bracken Cave Bat Colony - San Antonio, Texas, USA

Filmed from inside the cave entrance, this camera looks out through the oval mouth of Bracken Cave in Texas Hill Country as millions of Mexican free-tailed bats stream out at dusk or pour back in at dawn. Up to 20 million bats roost here during summer, making it the largest bat congregation on earth and one of the most extraordinary wildlife spectacles in North America.

Bracken Cave Preserve is owned and protected by Bat Conservation International, which acquired the site specifically to safeguard the colony from urban development pressure spreading north from San Antonio. The cave is a maternity colony, meaning the bats present are almost entirely pregnant females and their pups, born each June in one of the most densely packed nurseries of any mammal species anywhere.

During the day the camera shows roosting bats packed across the cave ceiling. At sunset the emergence begins, a continuous spiral of bats pouring out that can last several hours and is visible on radar from the San Antonio weather station.

Did You Know? The 20 million bats at Bracken Cave consume an estimated 100 to 200 tonnes of insects every single night during peak summer, the majority of which are agricultural pest species. The colony's appetite is considered one of the most significant natural pest control mechanisms in the United States, saving Texas farmers hundreds of millions of dollars in crop protection costs each year.

Explore more live streams in United States, or take a look at more Wildlife and Nature cameras from across the Americas including Canada and Costa Rica. You can also browse our Live Webcam Map or explore cameras by interest.