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The bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus) is a small vole with red-brown fur and some grey patches, with a tail about half as long as its body. A rodent, it lives in woodland areas and is around 100 millimetres (3.9 in) in length. The bank vole is found in much of Europe and in northwestern Asia.
Northern red-backed voles live in a variety of northern forest and shrubland habitats. [2] [4] They occur in every major forest type in central Alaska. [5]Plant species commonly found in areas occupied by northern red-backed voles include black spruce (Picea mariana), white spruce (Picea glauca), quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides), paper birch (Betula papyrifera), alder (Alnus spp.), willow ...
Eastern meadow voles eat most available species of grasses, sedges, and forbs, including many agricultural plant species. [5] [9] In summer and fall, grasses are cut into match-length sections to reach the succulent portions of the leaves and seedheads. Leaves, flowers, and fruits of forbs are also typical components of the summer diet.
Because they feed on roots and tubers, voles do not need to drink water much. [3] Voles cache food, primarily during the winter. [5] Voles spend most of their time underground in their burrow systems and seldom venture into the surface. This makes them safe from hawks and owls. [4] Other predators of voles include snakes, weasels and mountain ...
Voles outwardly resemble several other small animals. Moles, gophers, mice, rats and even shrews have similar characteristics and behavioral tendencies. Voles thrive on small plants yet, like shrews, they will eat dead animals and, like mice and rats, they can live on almost any nut or fruit. In addition, voles target plants more than most ...
In North America and most of Europe, voles predominate in the diet, and shrews are the second most common food choice. [24] In Ireland, the accidental introduction of the bank vole in the 1950s led to a major shift in the barn owl's diet: where their ranges overlap, the vole is now by far the largest prey item. [32]
Field voles are induced ovulators. [9] The short-tailed field vole breeds throughout the year but the breeding season peaks in spring and summer. The nest is made on or just under the surface of the ground, often in a clump of grass or sedge. The gestation period is about three weeks and up to a dozen young are borne.
The hazel dormouse, therefore, spends a large proportion of its life sleeping, either hibernating in winter or in torpor in summer. M. avellanarius moving a newborn baby. An examination of hazelnuts may show a neat, round hole in the shell. This indicates it has been opened by a small rodent, e.g. the dormouse, wood mouse, or bank vole.