Bank voles are widespread across mainland Britain, but are absent from some offshore islands.

Life span
They live for up to 18 months.

Statistics
Head and body length: 8-12cm, Weight: 15-40g

Physical description
Bank voles have small eyes and ears, and a blunt nose. Adults have red-brown fur on their backs, although younger individuals have grey-brown fur. They have creamy beige under-parts.

Distribution
Bank voles range across Europe (except for the extreme north or south) east into central Asia. They are widely distibuted throughout Britain, and were accidentally introduced to the south west of Ireland in the 1950s.

Habitat
Their typical habitat is woodland, but they are also found in grassland and hedgerows.

Diet
Bank voles feed on buds, leaves, fruit and some insects. They often climb among bushes while foraging for food.

Behaviour
They are active during the night and day, but break up their activity with frequent periods of rest. Bank voles make nests under logs, amongst tree roots, in tree holes or underground. In the autumn, they sometimes store food for when food is scarce in the winter.

Reproduction
Bank voles breed from March to October. An average of four young are born after a gestation period of 18-20 days. The young become independent after four weeks.

Conservation status
Bank voles are common and are not considered to be endangered.

Notes
There is a close relative of the bank vole living on Skomer Island. It arrived there hundreds of years ago and is twice the size of the mainland bank vole.