Listed as Least Concern in view of its wide distribution, tolerance of a broad range of habitats, presumed large population, and because it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category.

This widespread species is found from Senegal in the west of its range, eastwards to Yemen and southwestern Saudi Arabia, and as far south as South Africa. It has been recorded from the island of Bioko and the Annobon Islands (Equatorial Guinea), Pemba and Zanzibar (Tanzania)


[[The records from the Comoros Islands, Mayotte and the Aldabra Atoll of the Seychelles are treated as C. pusillus. Records from Madagascar are treated as C. atsinana]].

The colonies of this species range from a few animals (between 5 and 20) to hundreds of individuals. There are no estimates of its population in Madagascar but it is thought to be locally common in the eastern zone. On Aldabra, the population might be fewer than 250 animals.

Bouchard (1998) indicates that this species is found in a variety of habitats from semi-arid regions in the north of its range to cleared rainforest regions in the south (Happold 1987). It occurs widely in the savannas of Guinea and Sudan, and in the forests of the Congo basin of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is found in savanna woodlands in Zambia, and in the Cape Province of South Africa they occur in mountainous areas in the Cape Macchia Zone as well as in more arid open country further. In Zimbabwe the species shows a clear preference for low veld conditions and it is never taken on the plateau above 1,000 m asl (Smithers 1983). In KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, it is largely restricted to the Valley bushveld, lowveld and Coast lowland bioregions. Although the species appears to prefer forest or savanna woodlands outside built-up areas, its presence in built-up areas is determined solely by the availability of suitable roofs and buildings for roosting. It is not thought to be a habitat specialist as it has been recorded in villages both near intact forest and in areas that are heavily degraded. Preferred roosting sites include horizontal surfaces of rafters, between rafters and brickwork, in the corrugations of corrugated roofs, between the roof tiles and the insulating material underneath as well as in air vents. Natural roosts are hollows and crevices in trees, the crowns of various species of palms (see references in Bouchard 1998).

There are no major threats to the species. In some parts of its range, it is threatened from persecution as a pest, especially since it roosts in buildings.

In view of its wide range it seems probable that this species is present in some protected areas.