The Meadow Mouse (Vole)
The Little Pathmaker
The Meadow Mouse, or Vole, is a small, round rodent that looks a lot like a chunky mouse with a shorter tail. They are the busiest animals in the field, always digging tunnels and nibbling on grass. Even though they are small, they are very important because they provide food for many other animals in the wild.
RANGE
Meadow Voles live all across North America. You can find them from the top of Alaska and Canada all the way down to the middle of the United States. They love places that have lots of grass to hide in.
HABITAT
As their name suggests, these animals love meadows! They also live in marshes, fields, and grassy areas near woods. They build secret "runways" or paths through the tall grass. These paths are like little tunnels that keep them hidden from predators as they move around.
DIET
These little animals are herbivores. They spend most of their time eating plants that grow right near their homes.
Favorite Foods: They love to eat green grass, clover, and seeds.
Winter Snacks: In the winter, when the grass is gone, they will nibble on the bark of small trees and shrubs.
SIZE & WEIGHT
Meadow Voles are small and sturdy. They are usually about 5 to 7 inches long, including their tail. They weigh very little, usually about the same as a few slices of bread. Their bodies are shaped like a little bean, which helps them squeeze through their grass tunnels.
LIFE CYCLE
Meadow Voles are famous for having many babies!
A mother can have several litters of babies every year.
Each litter usually has 4 to 6 babies.
The babies grow up very fast and can start their own families when they are only a few weeks old. This is how there stay so many voles in the meadow!
PREDATORS
Because they are small and there are so many of them, almost every meat-eater in the forest looks for Meadow Voles. Hawks, owls, foxes, weasels, and even snakes are their predators. Their best way to stay safe is to stay inside their secret grass paths where they can't be seen from the sky.
Amazing Adaptations
The Meadow Vole has some neat tricks to stay safe and healthy.
Tunneling: They are expert diggers. They make tunnels under the snow in the winter to stay warm and hide from hungry owls.
Quick Ears: Their ears are very small and tucked into their fur, but they can hear the tiny "whoosh" of an owl's wings from far away.
Strong Teeth: Just like squirrels, their front teeth never stop growing, which is perfect for all the grass they have to chew.
Animal Talk
How Do Meadow Voles Communicate?
Meadow voles may be small and secretive, but they have several ways to communicate. They use squeaks, scents, and body language to share information with other voles.
Tiny Squeaks: Meadow voles can make high-pitched squeaks and other small calls, especially during close interactions. Young voles also use sounds when communicating with their mothers.
Sounds We Can't Hear: Some vole vocalizations can reach ultrasonic frequencies, which are too high for human ears to hear. These sounds can be especially important during interactions between mothers and their young.
Scent Messages: Smell is an important part of a meadow vole's world. Voles use scent markings that can give other voles information about who has been nearby and can play a role in social and mating behavior.
Fun Animal Talk Fact: A meadow vole's world is filled with information we barely notice. Scents left behind by another vole can act almost like little messages, allowing voles to learn about one another without ever making a sound.
Respecting Wildlife
Meadow voles are a very important part of the food web in our backyards and local fields.
Supporting Local Wildlife: Many of our favorite forest neighbors, like foxes, hawks, and owls, rely on voles for food. By having a healthy population of voles in a nearby field, these larger animals have plenty to eat.
Managing the Garden: Because voles love to munch on the roots of plants and the bark of young trees, gardeners can protect their favorite saplings by placing a "tree guard" around the base of the trunk. This is usually a piece of plastic or wire mesh that keeps the voles from nibbling on the tree during the winter.
Underground Aerators: As voles dig their shallow tunnels, they help mix the soil and allow air and water to reach the roots of wildflowers and grasses. This makes the meadow a much healthier place for plants to grow.
Natural Lawn Care: If you see little "runways" or paths in your grass after the snow melts in the spring, it means you have had vole neighbors! You can gently rake these areas and plant a little extra grass seed to help the lawn bounce back while appreciating the hard work these tiny neighbors did all winter.
Meadow Vole Photos
