American Ermine in Idaho

Mustela erminea

Native to Idaho

Not listed as nonindigenous in Idaho by USGS NAS; treated as native to its mapped Idaho range.

IUCN Red List status

LC – Least Concern

Widespread and abundant; not at risk.

Photo: Keven Law from Los Angeles, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0Mustela Erminea headPhoto: Alastair Rae from London, United Kingdom · CC BY-SA 2.0Mustela erminea hibernicaPhoto: Steve Hillebrand, USFWS · Public domainMustela erminea uprightPhoto: Robbie Hannawacker · CC0American ermine standing alert on a wooden beamPhoto: miaow7477 · CC0American ermine peering from a mossy den entrancePhoto: Игорь Загребин · CC0American ermine in white winter coat crossing an alpine talus slope

Photo: Keven Law from Los Angeles, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0Mustela Erminea headPhoto: Alastair Rae from London, United Kingdom · CC BY-SA 2.0Mustela erminea hibernicaPhoto: Steve Hillebrand, USFWS · Public domainMustela erminea uprightPhoto: Robbie Hannawacker · CC0American ermine standing alert on a wooden beamPhoto: miaow7477 · CC0American ermine peering from a mossy den entrancePhoto: Игорь Загребин · CC0American ermine in white winter coat crossing an alpine talus slope

American Ermine in Idaho, by the numbers

Occasional in Idaho 65th most recorded of 123 mammals logged in Idaho

26 occurrence records

25 with iNaturalist photos

Records from 2000–2026.

26 total records count every Idaho occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 24; the monthly chart covers the 24 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the American Ermine in Idaho

Most sightings fall in September.

24 Idaho occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) by month of year, 2000–2026. Shows when the species is recorded, not a guarantee of presence. Based on a small number of dated records; the seasonal pattern may not be representative.

Monthly Idaho records (table)

Month	Records
January	0
February	1
March	1
April	0
May	4
June	3
July	4
August	1
September	5
October	1
November	3
December	1

Monthly american ermine occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in Idaho, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in Idaho, with recorded sightings peaking in September, with a smaller rise in May–July and November.

Occurrence map

Where American Ermine has been recorded in Idaho

24 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

24 Idaho records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monument	iNaturalist records
Spring Valley Reservoir Access Site	1

Protected places with the most american ermine sightings, from the USGS Protected Areas Database plus named mountain ranges, good spots to look, not a full breakdown, so they don't sum to the total.

Where it's recorded in Idaho

County	Records
Bonner County	3
Latah County	3
Valley County	3
Oneida County	2
Kootenai County	2
Clark County	1
Caribou County	1
Benewah County	1
Idaho County	1
Bannock County	1
Teton County	1
Jefferson County	1
4 other counties	6

The complete county distribution, spread across 16 Idaho counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Idaho has just 26 American ermine records, scattered thinly across 16 counties from Bonner, Kootenai, and Latah in the north through Valley County in the central mountains to Oneida and Bannock in the southeast. This small weasel hunts voles and other rodents along brushy margins and wetland edges.

Records are spread thinly across the year, with September the busiest month at five, too few to show a real seasonal pattern.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

American Ermine in other states

Full species profile American Ermine Mustela erminea Size 17–33 cm6.7–13 in Weight 70–260 g2.5–9.2 oz Lifespan Up to 12.5 yr View the full profile

More mammals in Idaho in the atlas

Data & sources

The data and visualizations on this page draw on these open sources:

GBIFCC-BY 4.0occurrence records behind the range map, elevation, and record counts
iNaturalistCC0 / CC-BY / CC-BY-SAobservations, photos, and audio recordings
IUCN Red Listattributed factthe global conservation status
USGS NASpublic domainnative / introduced status
Natural Earthpublic domainthe relief basemap
USFSpublic domainnational-forest boundaries
USGS Protected Areas Databasepublic domainthe named parks, forests, and refuges behind "notable places to look"