Phenacomys intermedius
western heather vole

Phenacomys intermedius (Heather vole) is found on the western mainland of the U.S. as far south as New Mexico. In Canada the vole is found across northern Canada from Labrador to the Yukon Territory. (Banfield 1974)(Fitzgerald 1994)

The Heather vole lives in stands of spruce, lodgepole pine, aspen, and grassy meadows in montane forest, subalpine, and alpine tundra (Fitzgerald 1994). The vole usually stays close to water. The Heather vole has been seen traveling 200 yards from its nest. The understory of their habitat may contain shrubs such as blueberry, dwarf birch, and soapberry. The Heather vole has been found as high as 12,100 feet elevation in Colorado. (Banfield 1974; Fitzgerald 1994; Armstrong 1972)

The Heather vole fur is long and soft. The color varies geographically. Generally, the dorsal colors are brown to grayish, while the ventral fur is gray. The feet are white to gray and the ears can have orange hairs. The tail is slightly longer than the hindfeet (31-34 mm) and has dark fur on top and is pale on the ventral side. The total length of the animal is between 130 and 140 mm. The species closely resembles the Meadow vole; skull characteristics are often needed to help tell the species apart. The skull characteristic used is that the cheek teeth have deep lingual angles in the Heather vole. (Banfield 1974; Fitzgerald 1994)

Heather voles are active year round. The voles have different nesting areas depending on the time of the year. In the summer months, they live in burrow systems. These burrows are usually around 20 cm deep. The entrance is usually hidden by some sort of vegetation or leaf litter. The nest is made of grasses, lichen, and other types of vegetation.

The Heather vole does not hibernate. In the winter, the vole builds its nest on the surface of the ground under the snow. These nests are better insulated and have thicker walls made of lichen and twigs, and the nest is lined with grasses. Winter nests can be found in places of cover, such as under shrubs and logs. The vole in winter and summer months has an area it uses as a toilet. The toilet area is in a tunnel that extends from the nest.

The Heather vole usually leads a solitary life except during breeding season. In Canada, it was reported that in the winter family groups huddle together in communal nests (Banfield 1994). The female Heather vole takes care of the young and has a territory that she defends from other voles.

During the breeding season males fight among each other. The voles are active at dusk. Their predators include martens, weasels, owls, and hawks. (Banfield 1974; Fitzgerald 1994)

The Heather vole searches for green vegetation, bark of trees and shrubs, twigs, seeds, berries, and fungi. Their diet consists of leaves and fruits of willows, myrtle blueberry, snowberry, bog birch, kinnikinnnik (bearberry) in the summer months. In the winter, spring, and fall they tend to focus more on the bark and buds of willow, birch, and blueberry. The Heather vole stores food for use in the summer and winter. The food reserves are found close to the burrow entrances. (Banfield 1974; Fitzgerald 1994).

The only adverse affect known at this time is the Heather vole has been known to carry the virus listeriosis (Banfield 1974).

There are no known ways that the Heather vole positively benefits humans at this time.

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The population size of this species is not well known. Scientists have found the species difficult to trap and the mortality rate during livetrapping is high. (Fitzgerald 1994)