Nearly 700 records make the long-tailed vole one of the better-documented small mammals in Idaho, and the seasonal pattern is unmistakable. Sightings barely register from November through April, then surge to 134 in June and peak at 209 in July before tapering off into fall. That doesn’t mean the vole vanishes in winter, it stays active under the snow, but summer fieldwork and hiking season put far more observers into its habitat.
Unlike most voles, which stick to obvious grass runways, this species turns up almost anywhere with damp ground and good cover, from wet mountain meadows and streamside brush to rockslides and forest edges, at elevations from valley floors to alpine ridgelines. That range of habitat, more than any single hotspot, explains why it shows up across so many corners of the state.
NatureServe ranks it S4, Apparently Secure, in Idaho, consistent with a native species that isn’t tied to one narrow habitat type.
Full species profile
