What habitats do house mice occupy in temperate regions?

In temperate regions, house mice (Mus musculus) are highly adaptive and occupy a variety of environments. They may live indoors within buildings, either on a seasonal basis or throughout the entire year.1

When living outdoors in these latitudes, house mice inhabit several types of terrain, including:

• Grasslands1
• Fallow fields1
• Croplands1
• Grassy coastal dunes1
• Shrubby deserts1

These mice are known to move between fields or into houses when their current habitat changes, such as during plowing or crop harvesting, though they typically avoid forests. While they are terrestrial and often excavate burrows for nesting, they may also den among rocks and crevices when living outdoors.1