Bank vole

About

The Bank vole is a small rodent: its body measures 8–12 cm in length, with a tail approximately half as long. It is distinguished from mice by its blunt snout, small ears that barely protrude from its fur, and short tail. Its back is rusty-brown or chestnut, sides are gray, and the belly is light.

This is the most common mammal of the forest belt in the Carpathians. The Bank vole lives in beech, mixed, and spruce forests, in clearings, in thickets of brambles and raspberries, among stones and debris — from the foothills to the crooked forests. It is active both at night and during the day, so tourists often notice it when something rustles in the leaves along the trail. It climbs well in bushes and fallen branches.

The Bank vole feeds on seeds, beech nuts, buds, green parts of plants, berries, mushrooms, bark, and also insects. It makes food reserves for winter. During the warm season, females produce several litters, so after the harvest of beech nuts, the number of rodents increases significantly, while in poor harvest years, it decreases.

The fate of predators depends on the number of Bank voles: Long-eared owl, Tawny owl, martens, weasels, stoats, foxes, and wildcats.

In mountain huts and Kolibas, rodents search for food, so keep products in closed containers or hung up.

Where in the Carpathians

Teal — roughly where the species can occur, by elevation and habitat; orange — where naturalists recorded it (GBIF, CC0/CC BY).

Range: elevation belt and forests — our model (AWS Terrain Tiles; © OpenStreetMap)

Countries

Ukraine · Slovakia · Romania · Hungary · Poland · Czechia

Mountain ranges

nearly all Carpathian ranges, in the forest belt

Altitude belts

Foothills (below 600 m) · Beech forests (600–1200 m) · Conifer forests (1200–1600 m)

When to see it

From naturalists’ observations in the Carpathians (iNaturalist, research grade): the darker the cell, the more often the species is seen that month.

Safety

The Bank vole is a natural carrier of hantavirus, which is transmitted through dust from dry droppings and urine of rodents. In huts and Kolibas, do not eat products gnawed by rodents, do not sweep droppings dry — first moisten them with water — and wash your hands.

Protection and rules

Not listed in the Red Book of Ukraine.

FAQ