Idaho mammals

Montane Vole in Idaho

Microtus montanus

Native to Idaho S4 Apparently Secure in Idaho

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

IUCN Red List status

LC – Least Concern

Widespread and abundant; not at risk.

Photo: Cole Wolf · CC BY 4.0Montane vole peering out from lichen-covered alpine rocksPhoto: ecovore · CC BY 4.0A montane vole pauses on late-season snow in the Sierra Nevada foothills.Photo: Brodie Cass Talbott · CC BY 4.0A montane vole works through dry meadow grass in eastern Oregon.Photo: ecovore · CC BY 4.0The same Sierra Nevada vole, tail and whiskers visible against the snow.

Montane vole foraging on snow with its tail and whiskers visible — Photo: Cole Wolf · CC BY 4.0Montane vole peering out from lichen-covered alpine rocksPhoto: ecovore · CC BY 4.0A montane vole pauses on late-season snow in the Sierra Nevada foothills.Photo: Brodie Cass Talbott · CC BY 4.0A montane vole works through dry meadow grass in eastern Oregon.Photo: ecovore · CC BY 4.0The same Sierra Nevada vole, tail and whiskers visible against the snow.

Montane Vole in Idaho, by the numbers

Common in Idaho 39th most recorded of 123 mammals logged in Idaho

599 occurrence records

4 with iNaturalist photos

Jun 4, 2026 Last seen in Idaho

Records from 2000–2026.

599 total records count every Idaho occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 300; the monthly chart covers the 588 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Montane Vole in Idaho

Most sightings fall in September to October.

588 Idaho occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) by month of year, 2000–2026. Shows when the species is recorded, not a guarantee of presence.

Monthly Idaho records (table)

Month	Records
January	12
February	8
March	22
April	52
May	55
June	86
July	99
August	42
September	76
October	102
November	32
December	2

Monthly montane vole occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in Idaho, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in Idaho, with recorded sightings peaking in September–October, with a smaller rise in June–July.

Occurrence map

Where Montane Vole has been recorded in Idaho

300 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

300 Idaho records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monument	iNaturalist records
Market Lake Wildlife Management Area	3
St. Joe National Forest	2
Coeur d'Alene National Forest	1
Boise National Forest	1

Protected places with the most montane vole 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
Bannock County	82
Lemhi County	77
Nez Perce County	73
Latah County	63
Butte County	49
Blaine County	32
Cassia County	26
Bonneville County	16
Adams County	16
Power County	14
Washington County	13
Shoshone County	12
24 other counties	126

The complete county distribution, spread across 36 Idaho counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Montane voles favor open grassland and irrigated field edges rather than the deep forest much of Idaho offers, which fits their concentration across the Snake River Plain’s sagebrush steppe, lava fields, and farmland-adjacent wetlands. With 598 records, all from GBIF rather than a photograph, this is one of the better-documented small rodents in this rank range.

Records build steadily through the growing season into an October peak, more than 50 times the December low, likely tracking a mix of breeding-season movement and the population booms voles are known for before winter thins the record back down. NatureServe rates the species S4, apparently secure, statewide.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

Full species profile Montane Vole Microtus montanus Size 14–22 cm5.5–8.7 in Weight 35 g1.2 oz 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
NatureServe ExplorerCC-BYthe state conservation rank
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"