However, this has not been accepted by taxonomic authorities as it violates the International Code of Zoologigal Nomenclature[7][8] It ranges throughout North America, from northern Canada south to Guatemala.

Although the Hawaiian subspecies L. semotus was reclassified into a distinct species, studies in 2015 and 2017 found evidence supporting two different colonization events of Hawaii by Lasiurus species; one about 1.4 million years ago by the ancestors of L. semotus, but also a much more recent colonization by true L. cinereus.

Its coat is dense and dark brown, with white tips to the hairs that give the species its 'hoary' appearance for which it is named.

[13] The reproductive cycle of the hoary bat is not yet fully documented, but it is thought that they mate in August with birth occurring in June of the following year.

It is thought that the gestation period is only 40 days and that mammalian embryonic diapause (delayed implantation) may play a role.

[17] One common theory explaining this is that bats are attracted to the tall structure, possibly believing them to be trees that can be used for rest.