Wildlife Wednesday | Bank Voles

This week it's all about Bank Voles!

Meet The Bank Vole

It’s Week 4 of Wildlife of the Week! And our chosen species this week is the Bank Vole, perhaps one of our cutest species so far…

• Name: Bank Vole (Myodes glareolus)

• Habitat: Gardens, edges of forests, farmland

• Appearance: 8-12cm in length, a chestnut brown colour with a lighter underbelly. Voles have a rounder face with smaller facial features and tails than mice.

• Diet: Fruits, nuts, small insects

• Origin: Native to the UK

Fun Fact: Bank Voles living on Skomer island have developed into their own subspecies, they are larger and bolder than their mainland relatives!

Bank voles are one of the cutest little critters we have here in the UK, feasting on nuts and berries, they build small shallow burrows on the edges of woodland and hedgerows. Unfortunately for the bank vole they are the perfect prey for large birds of prey and mammals such as barn owls, kestrels and weasels, but luckily they are pretty good at breeding having 3-4 litters of young in a year!

Conservation and threats: Bank Voles are widespread throughout the UK and their population does not seem to be at threat, although continued habitat loss may cause issues in the future.

How can I spot one?

Bank voles don’t hibernate and can be seen throughout the daytime. However, they are pretty speedy and agile so you will have to keep a sharp look-out. The easiest way to find one, is to identify a burrow (look for a small hole in a mound or bank of earth) and wait and watch, until one appears. They have also been known to visit bird feeders!