A pale-furred pallid bat with a Hollywood-inspired name is one step away from securing Oregon’s fourth consecutive crown in the Bureau of Land Management’s annual Bat Beauty Contest.
Ryan GosWing, a pallid bat representing the Beaver State, has advanced to the final round of the 2026 competition, BLM announced Friday. The bat whose moniker puns on actor Ryan Gosling now faces Batty White, a hairy-legged vampire bat, in a head-to-head showdown for the title .
The contest, held in conjunction with Bat Week from Oct. 24 through Halloween, aims to spotlight the ecological contributions of bats rather than their spooky reputation. “Beyond their beauty, bats play an important role in healthy ecosystems, including helping control insect populations and pollinating plants,” BLM said on its website .
Ryan GosWing’s path to the finals has been impressive. The pallid bat a species known for oversized ears and a ground-gleaning hunting style outflew competitors including Dolly BATton and Guano Reeves to reach the championship round . If victorious, he would extend an extraordinary streak for Oregon bats: Hoary Potter and the Guano of Fire won in 2024, following William ShakespEAR in 2023 and Barbara in 2022 . No contest was held in 2025 due to the government shutdown .
Batty White presents formidable opposition. As a Diphylla ecaudata, she is one of only three vampire bat species on Earth, with a preferred diet of bird blood and fuzzy legs that may help her sense vibrations while navigating in darkness .
Voting closes Friday, Oct. 30, at 11 p.m. PT, with the winner announced on Halloween . For Oregon, the stakes are simple: a four-peat is within wing’s reach.
