A vole is any of numerous species of small-bodied, mouse-like rodents of the Northern Hemisphere in the subfamily Arvicolinae. The number of vole species varies by classification, with some identifying roughly 70 and others listing well over 100. Voles have a blunt muzzle, a tail shorter than their body, and small eyes and ears. They live in varied habitats from sea level to high mountains. Voles are active year-round, eating plants, insects, and fungi. Some vole species can be agricultural pests. The meadow vole is one of the most common mammals in North America.

How are voles different from mice and rats?

Voles, mice, and rats all belong to the order Rodentia, but they have notable differences. Voles are generally smaller than rats, with a blunt muzzle and a tail shorter than their body. Mice have a tapered muzzle, setting them apart from voles. Voles are adaptable and live in varied habitats, from grasslands to forests, while mice and rats are often found closer to human settlements. Voles construct extensive underground burrow systems, while mice and rats may create simpler nests above ground. Voles mainly eat plants, but mice and rats are omnivorous.

Voles, small mouselike rodents of the Northern Hemisphere, have a diet that consists of plants and occasionally insects and fungi. Some vole species can be agricultural pests. The American water voles eat roots, rhizomes, and preformed buds of perennials. The meadow vole's diet comprises grasses (including the seeds), sedges, other herbaceous plants, and tender tree bark. Roots, tubers, and other plant parts are cached in a burrow to eat during the winter. Arboreal red and Sonoma tree voles eat the outer parts of conifer needles (particularly Douglas fir). Mole voles eat the underground parts of plants.

How do voles build their homes and tunnels?

Voles, small mouselike rodents, construct their homes in various habitats, including grasslands and forests. Most voles are terrestrial, creating elaborate subsurface burrows and tunnels in grass or beneath snow. To build their burrows, woodland voles loosen soil with their heads, incisor teeth, and forefeet. They turn around and push debris out of the tunnel, creating piles under leaf litter. They also build globular nests of dead grass and leaves under logs or within the burrows. Some vole species dwell close to streams, with burrow entrances at water level or submerged. Mole voles dig burrows up to 50 cm (nearly 20 inches) below ground in steppes and dry grasslands.

What role do voles play in the ecosystem?

Voles, mouselike rodents of the Northern Hemisphere, play important roles in their ecosystems. As they eat plants, fungi, and insects, voles can be agricultural pests in some regions. Voles also serve as an important food source for various carnivores. Some vole species contribute to seed dispersal, aiding plant propagation. They can inadvertently carry seeds via their fur or spread them through their feces. Additionally, the burrowing activity of voles can modify soil structure and aeration.

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A bank vole, Myodes glareolus, with brown fur and a rounded body, sits among green moss holding a piece of red berry in its front paws.

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Key People:: Charles Elton

Related Topics:: meadow vole; woodland vole; European water vole; bank vole; American water vole

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Top Questions

What is a vole?
A vole is any of numerous species of small-bodied, mouse-like rodents of the Northern Hemisphere in the subfamily Arvicolinae. The number of vole species varies by classification, with some identifying roughly 70 and others listing well over 100.

Voles have a blunt muzzle, a tail shorter than their body, and small eyes and ears. They live in varied habitats from sea level to high mountains. Voles are active year-round, eating plants, insects, and fungi. Some vole species can be agricultural pests. The meadow vole is one of the most common mammals in North America.
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2. meadow vole
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How are voles different from mice and rats?
Voles, mice, and rats all belong to the order Rodentia, but they have notable differences. Voles are generally smaller than rats, with a blunt muzzle and a tail shorter than their body. Mice have a tapered muzzle, setting them apart from voles.

Voles are adaptable and live in varied habitats, from grasslands to forests, while mice and rats are often found closer to human settlements. Voles construct extensive underground burrow systems, while mice and rats may create simpler nests above ground. Voles mainly eat plants, but mice and rats are omnivorous.
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Where do voles usually live?
Voles, small mouselike rodents, inhabit diverse environments from sea level to high mountains. They are found in North America, ranging from Alaska to the mountains of Mexico and Guatemala. In Eurasia, voles can be located from the British Isles across Europe and Asia to southern China, Taiwan, and Japan. A small population of voles exists in coastal Libya.

Voles live in prairies, steppes, semideserts, alpine and subalpine meadows, treeless tundra, and various forests, including cloud, deciduous, and coniferous types. Woodland voles favor beech-maple forests with moist soils and dense grass or leaf cover but also live near shores and in cultivated fields and orchards. American water voles stay close to clear, spring-fed streams and ponds. Mole voles live in the steppes and dry grasslands of Central Asia.
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What do voles eat?
Voles, small mouselike rodents of the Northern Hemisphere, have a diet that consists of plants and occasionally insects and fungi. Some vole species can be agricultural pests. The American water voles eat roots, rhizomes, and preformed buds of perennials. The meadow vole's diet comprises grasses (including the seeds), sedges, other herbaceous plants, and tender tree bark. Roots, tubers, and other plant parts are cached in a burrow to eat during the winter. Arboreal red and Sonoma tree voles eat the outer parts of conifer needles (particularly Douglas fir). Mole voles eat the underground parts of plants.
3 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How do voles build their homes and tunnels?
Voles, small mouselike rodents, construct their homes in various habitats, including grasslands and forests. Most voles are terrestrial, creating elaborate subsurface burrows and tunnels in grass or beneath snow.

To build their burrows, woodland voles loosen soil with their heads, incisor teeth, and forefeet. They turn around and push debris out of the tunnel, creating piles under leaf litter. They also build globular nests of dead grass and leaves under logs or within the burrows. Some vole species dwell close to streams, with burrow entrances at water level or submerged. Mole voles dig burrows up to 50 cm (nearly 20 inches) below ground in steppes and dry grasslands.
4 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What role do voles play in the ecosystem?
Voles, mouselike rodents of the Northern Hemisphere, play important roles in their ecosystems. As they eat plants, fungi, and insects, voles can be agricultural pests in some regions.

Voles also serve as an important food source for various carnivores. Some vole species contribute to seed dispersal, aiding plant propagation. They can inadvertently carry seeds via their fur or spread them through their feces. Additionally, the burrowing activity of voles can modify soil structure and aeration.
3 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

vole, any of numerous species of small-bodied mouselike rodents of the Northern Hemisphere that are classified, along with lemmings, in the subfamily Arvicolinae of the family Cricetidae. The number of vole species, however, varies by classification, with some taxonomies identifying roughly 70 species and others listing well over 100. Voles have a blunt rather than a tapered muzzle, a tail shorter than the body, and small eyes and ears.

Voles live in a wide variety of habitats at elevations ranging from sea level to high mountains. In North America they range from Alaska southward to the mountains of Mexico and Guatemala. In Eurasia they can be found in the British Isles and across Europe and Asia to southern China, Taiwan, and Japan. The only African voles exist as an isolated population in coastal Libya. Habitats exploited by voles include prairies, steppes, semideserts, alpine and subalpine meadows, treeless tundra, and several types of forest, including cloud, deciduous, and coniferous.

The woodland vole (Microtus pinetorum) of the eastern United States is one of the smallest, weighing less than 35 grams (1 ounce) and having a body length up to 10 cm (4 inches) and a tail shorter than 3 cm (1 inch). The European water vole (Arvicola amphibius) is the largest of the native Eurasian voles, weighing up to 250 grams (9 ounces) and having a body up to 22 cm (9 inches) long and a tail up to 13 cm (5 inches). Depending upon the species, voles’ soft dense fur is generally solid gray, brown, chestnut, or reddish on the upperparts, or reddish brown on the back and gray on the sides. Underparts are paler, ranging from white to gray to brown.

If You'd Only Be My Valentine, American Valentine card, 1910. Cupid gathers a basket of red hearts from a pine tree which, in the language of flowers represents daring. Valentine's Day St. Valentine's Day February 14 love romance history and society heart In Roman mythology Cupid was the son of Venus, goddess of love (Eros and Aphrodite in the Greek Pantheon).

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The meadow vole (M. pennsylvanicus), also known as the meadow mouse, is one of the most common mammals in North America. Its geographic range is vast, extending through almost all of Alaska and Canada southward through most of the continental United States. Isolated populations are also found in Mexico. The meadow vole weighs less than 50 grams (2 ounces), and adults grow to roughly 15 to 20 cm (6 to 8 inches) in length, including the short tail (3 to 6 cm [1 to 2.4 inches]). Meadow voles have dense soft fur that is typically chestnut-brown above and gray or grayish buff on the underparts, with some individuals being much darker.

Voles are active year-round. Some species are nocturnal, some are diurnal, and others are active day and night. Their diet consists of plants and occasionally insects and fungi. Some species in some regions can be agricultural pests. Nearly all voles are terrestrial, traveling through tunnels in grass or beneath snow or via elaborate subsurface burrows. There are, however, some dramatic exceptions. Arboreal red and Sonoma tree voles (Arborimus longicaudus and A. pomo, respectively) are found only in humid coastal old-growth forests of northern California and Oregon, where they live and nest in the tops of Douglas fir, grand fir, and Sitka spruce trees and eat the outer parts of conifer needles (particularly Douglas fir).

In mountain meadows of the western United States and Canada, the semiaquatic American water voles (M. richardsoni) dwell close to clear spring-fed or glacial streams and the edges of ponds. They are adept swimmers and divers whose pathways extend along and cross over springs and streams. Their burrow entrances may be at water level or submerged. Their diet consists of roots, rhizomes, and preformed buds of perennials.

Mole voles (genus Ellobius) have tiny eyes and ears and the velvety fur common to burrowing rodents. Mole voles live in deep moist soil of the steppes and dry grasslands of Central Asia, digging elaborate burrows up to 50 cm (nearly 20 inches) below ground and eating the underground parts of plants.

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