Common vole
Microtus arvalis (Pallas, 1779)
The common vole (Microtus arvalis), also called the Altai vole or Orkney vole, is a rodent in the family Cricetidae and subfamily Arvicolinae. It is a small, terrestrial herbivore with an adult body mass of 28 g, living in forest and shrubland habitats and showing a cathemeral activity pattern.
Quick facts about the common vole
Gestation lasts 21 days, litters average 5.1 young, there are 5.5 litters per year, and sexual maturity comes at 47 days. Its lifespan is 3 years, with values up to 4.8 years, and the IUCN lists it as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.
- Weight
- 25.4 g – 28 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- 3 years – 4.8 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Herbivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- forest, shrublandsrc for Habitat
- Gestation
- 21 dayssrc for Gestation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 5.1src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 38 days – 56 dayssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 5.5src for Litters or clutches a year
- Active
- Day and night (cathemeral)src for Active
- Lifestyle
- Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Photos of the common vole
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
Where does the common vole live?
Not recorded
Is the common vole endangered?
The common vole is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the common vole classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classMammalia
- orderRodentia
- familyCricetidae
- genusMicrotus
- SpeciesMicrotus arvalis (Pallas, 1779)
Synonyms Arvicola arvalis assimilis, Arvicola arvalis ater, Arvicola arvalis contigua, Arvicola arvalis depressa, Arvicola arvalis duplicatus, Arvicola arvalis flava, Arvicola arvalis fulva, Arvicola arvalis galliardi, Arvicola arvalis principalis, Arvicola arvalis simplex, Arvicola arvalis variabilis, Arvicola arvensis, Arvicola campestris, Arvicola cunicularius, Arvicola incertus, Arvicola mystacinus, Arvicola vulgaris, Hypudaeus obscurus, Lemmus fulvus, Microtus angularis, Microtus arvalis calypsus, Microtus arvalis cimbricus, Microtus arvalis gudauricus, Microtus arvalis hawelkae, Microtus arvalis incertus, Microtus arvalis incognitus, Microtus arvalis iphigeniae, Microtus arvalis khorkoutensis, Microtus arvalis macrocranius, Microtus arvalis meldensis, Microtus arvalis meridianus, Microtus arvalis orcadensis, Microtus arvalis oyaensis, Microtus arvalis transcaucasicus, Microtus arvalis transuralensis, Microtus asturianus, Microtus brevirostris, Microtus hyrcania, Microtus incertus, Microtus mystacinus, Microtus obscurus, Microtus orcadensis, Microtus orcadensis ronaldshaiensis, Microtus orcadensis rousiensis, Microtus orcadensis sandayensis, Microtus sandayensis westrae, Microtus sarnius, Microtus terrestris, Mus arvalis, Mus arvalis albus, Pitymys incertus
Other names and names in other languages (43)
- Altai voleEnglish
- Orkney voleEnglish
- Палёўка звычайнаяBelarusian
- Talpó camperolCatalan
- hraboš polníCzech
- SydmarkmusDanish
- FeldmausGerman
- Κοινός ΣκαπτοποντικόςGreek
- Topillo CampesinoSpanish
- põld-uruhiirEstonian
- aasiankenttämyyräFinnish
- kenttämyyräFinnish
- LännenkenttämyyräFinnish
- Campagnol des champsFrench
- LânmûsWestern Frisian
- famhalanScottish Gaelic
- famhalainScottish Gaelic
- famhalain arcachScottish Gaelic
- famhalan arcachScottish Gaelic
- Trilladeira pataqueiraGalician
- Poljska voluharicaCroatian
- mezei pocokHungarian
- Topo campagnoloItalian
- Arvicola campestreItalian
- Topo campagnolo comuneItalian
- ユーラシアハタネズミJapanese
- Paprastasis pelėnasLithuanian
- sørmarkmusNorwegian Bokmål
- VeldmuisDutch
- Gewone veldmuisDutch
- nornik zwyczajnyPolish
- CampanholPortuguese
- rato-dos-pradosPortuguese
- Обыкновенная полевкаRussian
- Обыкновенная полёвкаRussian
- Obyknovennaja PoljovkaRussian
- Hraboš poľnýSlovak
- пољска волухарицаSerbian
- fältsorkSwedish
- TarlafaresiTurkish
- Bayağı tarla sıçanıTurkish
- Полівка звичайнаUkrainian
- 田鼠Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the common vole
Other species in the same genus Microtus.
Short-tailed field vole
Microtus agrestis
Root vole
Microtus oeconomus
Common pine vole
Microtus subterraneus
East European vole
Microtus levis
Social vole
Microtus socialis
Mediterranean pine vole
Microtus duodecimcostatus
CompareCommon vole vs Short-tailed field voleCommon vole vs Root voleCommon vole vs Common pine voleCommon vole vs East European vole
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the common vole?
The common vole is a mammal and rodent in the family Cricetidae, order Rodentia.
How heavy is the common vole?
The common vole has an adult body mass of 28 g, placing it in the small size class.
What does the common vole eat?
The common vole is a herbivore.
What habitats does the common vole live in?
The common vole lives in forest and shrubland, and it is terrestrial.
How long does the common vole live?
The common vole has a lifespan of 3 years, with values up to 4.8 years reported.
How many young does the common vole have?
The common vole has 5.1 young per litter and 5.5 litters per year, after a gestation of 21 days.
Is the common vole endangered?
No. The common vole is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.
Who named the common vole?
The common vole, Microtus arvalis, was named by (Pallas, 1779).
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals · CC0 1.0 · 1.0
Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1 - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Common vole (Microtus arvalis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-vole
“Common vole (Microtus arvalis).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-vole.
@misc{common_vole_2026,
title = {Common vole (Microtus arvalis)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-vole},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}