WELCOME TO CHESHIRE BIODIVERSITY PART OF THE CHESHIRE REGION BIODIVERSITY PARTNERSHIP

WATER VOLE (ARVICOLA TERRESTRIS)
LOCAL BIODIVERSITY ACTION PLAN

SPECIES ECOLOGY

Appearance

The Water Vole is the largest of the British vole species weighing between 225-310g. Water vole’s are commonly mistaken for rats. However, unlike the rat the water vole has a brown and shaggy coat, a blunt nose, short furry tail and small ears.

Habitat

Occurs mainly on well-vegetated lowland ponds, rivers, canals and drainage ditches with steeply sided banks. Usually within 2m of the waters edge.

Food

Water voles are largely herbivorous and although grass forms a major part of their diet they have been known to eat up to 227 different plant species. They also eat bark, rhizomes, bulbs and roots and very occasionally fish, snails and crayfish. In order to survive the water vole needs to consume 80% of its body weight in food daily.

Predators

Water voles are known to be predated by fox, mink, domestic cat, otter, stoat and grey heron. Of these the mink poses the greatest threat to their continued survival in Great Britain and has been, along with habitat loss, a major cause of their decline in recent years.

Life Style

• Active mainly during the day
• Efficient swimmer and diver
• Dig burrows in banks for shelter and breeding
• Occupy a linear home range of up to 130m for males and 77m for females depending upon habitat quality.
• Breeding season is March to October during which time 2-3 litters of 4-6 offspring will be reared.

Links to associated HAPs

Ponds, Reedbeds

Current Status

The water vole was once common and widespread in lowland Britain but has suffered a significant decline in numbers and distribution in recent years. A repeat of the 1989-90 National survey carried out in 1996-98 found that the water vole had been lost from over 89% of the sites it occupied in 1939. In the Cheshire region 46.2% of sites were positive for signs of water voles in 1990 whereas historically 62.5% were positive (Strachan & Jefferies, 1993). Water voles can be described as widespread and