Eastern meadow vole

The eastern meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus), sometimes called the field mouse or meadow mouse, is a North American vole found in eastern Canada and the United States. Its range extends farther south along the Atlantic coast.

The western meadow vole, Florida salt marsh vole, and beach vole were formerly considered regional variants or subspecies of M. pennsylvanicus, but have all since been designated as distinct species.

The eastern meadow vole is active year-round, usually at night. It also digs burrows, where it stores food for the winter and females give birth to their young. Although these animals tend to live close together, they are aggressive towards one another. This is particularly evident in males during the breeding season. They can cause damage to fruit trees, garden plants, and commercial grain crops.

The species was formerly grouped with the western meadow vole (M. drummondii) and the Florida salt marsh vole (M. dukecampbelli) as a single species with a very large range, but genetic evidence indicates that these are all distinct species.

The eastern meadow vole is found throughout eastern North America. It ranges from Labrador and New Brunswick south to South Carolina and extreme northeastern Georgia; west through Tennessee to Ohio. West of Ohio, it is replaced by the western meadow vole. Several subspecies are found on eastern islands, including the beach vole (M. p. breweri) and the extinct Gull Island vole.

Eastern meadow voles are most commonly found in grasslands, preferring moister areas, but are also found in wooded areas.

In east-central Ohio, eastern meadow voles were captured in reconstructed common cattail (Typha latifolia) wetlands. In Virginia, eastern meadow voles were least abundant in eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) glades and most abundant in fields with dense grass cover.

Eastern meadow voles are active year-round and day or night, with no clear 24-hour rhythm in many areas. Most changes in activity are imposed by season, habitat, cover, temperature, and other factors. Eastern meadow voles have to eat frequently, and their active periods (every two to three hours) are associated with food digestion. In Canada, eastern meadow voles are active the first few hours after dawn and during the two- to four-hour period before sunset. Most of the inactive period is spent in the nest.