History of Austin's Famous Brazilian Free-Tailed Bats
The arrival of Brazilian free-tailed bats at the Congress Avenue Bridge began soon after the structure, which connects downtown to south Austin, was expanded in 1982.
The Congress Avenue Bridge houses the world's largest urban population of Mexican free-tailed bats. Starting in late February, up to 1.5 million bats take up residence inside the bridge's expansion and contraction zones as well as in long horizontal grooves running the length of the bridge's underside - an environment ideally suited for raising their young.
Every evening around sunset, the bats emerge in search of insects. Watching the bat emergence is an event that is popular with locals and tourists, with more than 100,000 viewers per year.
Learn More: https://www.austinbats.org/history