Mammals
Bank Vole
Myodes glareolus · also called bank voles
Scurrying along a hedgerow at dusk, a bank vole forages for seeds and fungi, unaware that it forms a crucial link in the local food web, sustaining owls, foxes, and weasels across woodland edges throughout much of Europe.
Overview
The bank vole, Myodes glareolus, is a small, reddish-brown rodent native to forest and grassland habitat across a broad range spanning much of Europe. Its vital role as prey for a wide range of woodland predators, rapid reproductive cycle, and status as a natural reservoir for a hantavirus make it one of the more ecologically and epidemiologically significant small mammals found anywhere in European woodland ecosystems.
A small link holding up a big food web
Easily overlooked, the bank vole’s true importance lies in how many other species depend on it as prey, its short life and rapid reproduction helping sustain predator populations across European hedgerows and woodland edges year after year.
Status
Least Concern, remaining common and widespread across suitable forest and grassland habitat throughout much of Europe.
Bank Vole: common questions
Why is the bank vole important to European woodland ecosystems?
This species forms a key part of the diet for owls, foxes, weasels, and many other predators across European woodland, making its population size a significant factor in supporting local predator populations throughout the year.
Can the bank vole make people sick?
This species can carry a hantavirus capable of occasionally spreading to people, usually through contact with contaminated droppings or dust rather than direct contact with the animal itself, making it a subject of ongoing public health monitoring in parts of its range.
How can you tell a bank vole from other small rodents?
This species has a distinctly reddish-brown coat, a feature that helps distinguish it from the greyer, shorter-tailed field vole found across overlapping parts of its European range, along with a comparatively longer tail relative to its body.
How long does a bank vole typically live?
This species typically lives less than two years in the wild, a short lifespan offset by a rapid reproductive rate that allows populations to recover quickly following losses to predation or harsh winter conditions.