A new app for smartphones called, the iBats app will allow users to monitor local bat species by capturing its ultrasonic sounds.

The iBats app for the iPhone and Android phones records sounds with the help of a phone and an ultrasonic microphone.

Researchers behind the app say that it will help volunteers who are part of a monitoring programme called iBats. About 700 volunteers are part of the program to record bat sounds in Britain, Eastern Europe, Russia and Japan.

The app is capable of recording more than 900 species of bat. The app identifies bat calls using an ultrasonic microphone attached to the phone. The volunteers will be able to upload the calls onto the iBats website, where the software will identify the species, increasing the understanding about the presence of bats.

Dr Kate Jones, iBats project manager at the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), said: “Bats are like a heart monitor for wildlife. Their presence can tell us a lot about the health of the environment because they have an important role in terms of eating insects and acting as pollinators for many different plant species.”