The eastern small-footed bat is rare throughout its range, although the species may be locally abundant where suitable habitat exists.

[4][5][6] However, most occurrences of this species have only been counted within the past decade or two and are not revisited regularly, making their population status difficult to assess.

Many biologists believe the species is stable, having declined little in recent times, but that it is vulnerable due to its relatively restricted geographic range and habitat needs.

[8] A defining characteristic of this bat is its appearance of having a dark facial "mask", created by nearly black ears and muzzle.

[9] The fur on the dorsal side of their body is dark at the roots, and fades to a light brown at the tips, which gives the bats a signature shiny, chestnut-brown appearance.

Their head is relatively flat and short, with a forehead that slopes gradually away from the rostrum, a feature that distinguishes them from other species in the Myotis genus.

The keeled calcar combined with their small forearms (less than 34 mm in length) can be used to distinguish them from all other Myotis in eastern North America.

[12] During the spring, summer, and autumn they predominantly roost at emergent rock-outcrops such as cliffs, bluffs, shale barrens, and talus slopes, but also man-made structures, including buildings, joints between segments of cement guard rails, turnpike tunnels, road-cuts, and rip-rap covered dams.

They have been found in relatively cold caves and mines and can tolerate lower temperatures than other bat species.

Observations of eastern small-footed bats in western Virginia roosting in crevices along sandstone cliff faces in winter support this idea.

Summer roosts were previously considered difficult to find, but recent studies have shown that the species can be easy to locate if survey efforts are focused near appropriate rocky habitats.

However in another study on talus slopes in Virginia, males and female roosts appeared to be segregated on the basis of rock size.

Male bats initiate copulation by mounting the female and tilting her head back nearly perpendicularly.

The male secures his position by biting and pulling back on the hairs at the base of the female's skull.

[26] The young's large body size is believed to lead to high-energy expenditure from the mother, which is what limits her to only having one offspring a year.

[3][23] Size of maternity colonies is not well studied, but they appear to form smaller groups than other bats in the genus.

Once awake bats begin to expend energy and deplete critical fat reserves needed to survive winter.

[6] However, changes in capture rates during summer, in West Virginia and New Hampshire, suggested declines from WNS may have been more severe (68–84%).

Likewise, the species is likely threatened by a host of human activities that impact rocky habitats or the surrounding areas where eastern small-footed bats forage, such as: mining, quarrying, oil and gas drilling and other forms of mineral extraction, logging, highway construction, wind energy and other forms of agricultural, industrial and residential development.

Due to their cryptic hibernation patterns, and the lack of information regarding their spring and summer roosting sites, meaningful conservation efforts are difficult.