BC Conservation Data Centre: Species Summary
Phenacomys intermedius
Western Heather Vole
| Scientific Name: | Phenacomys intermedius Merriam, 1889 | ||||||||||
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| English Name: | Western Heather Vole | ||||||||||
| Classification / Taxonomy | |||||||||||
| Scientific Name - Concept Reference: | Wilson, D. E., and D. M. Reeder (editors). 1993. Mammal species of the world: a taxonomic and geographic reference. Second edition. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC. xviii + 1206 pp. Available online at: http://www.nmnh.si.edu/msw/. | ||||||||||
| Classification Level: | Species | ||||||||||
| Species Group: | Vertebrate Animal | ||||||||||
| Species Code: | M-PHIN | ||||||||||
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| Conservation Status / Legal Designation | |||||||||||
| Global Status: | G5 (Apr 2016) | ||||||||||
| Provincial Status: | S5 (Feb 2024) | ||||||||||
| BC List: | Yellow | ||||||||||
| Provincial FRPA list: | |||||||||||
| Provincial Wildlife Act: | |||||||||||
| COSEWIC Status: | |||||||||||
| SARA Schedule: | |||||||||||
| General Status Canada: | 4 - Secure (2005) | ||||||||||
| Ecology & Life History | |||||||||||
| General Description: | |||||||||||
| Global Reproduction Comments: | Gestation lasts 19-24 days. Young are born mid-June to early September, though the season possibly is more restricted at high elevations. Litter size averages 3-4 for young-of-year, 4-6 for older females (which may produce 2 litters per year) (McAllister and Hoffman 1988). | ||||||||||
| Global Ecology Comments: | Density estimates range from 0.5 to 10 per ha in different habitats in different areas. Irregular population fluctuations are typical. Solitary in summer except during breeding season. Family groups may occupy communal nests in winter. | ||||||||||
| Migration Characteristics: (Global / Provincial) | |||||||||||
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Nonmigrant: Local Migrant: Distant Migrant: Within Borders Migrant: |
Y / N / N / na / |
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| Habitats: (Type / Subtype / Dependence) |
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| Global Habitat Comments: | Sea level to above treeline; open coniferous forest with heath, shrub understory; shrub areas on forest edge; mossy meadows in forests; alpine tundra with cover. Nests on ground under snow (winter) or in burrow (summer). | ||||||||||
| Food Habits: |
Frugivore: Adult, Immature
Granivore: Adult, Immature Herbivore: Adult, Immature |
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| Global Food Habits Comments: | In winter, feeds on bark and buds of shrubs and heaths. In summer, feeds primarily on green vegetation, berries, and seeds. Stores food winter and summer. | ||||||||||
| Global Phenology: |
Circadian: Adult, Immature
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| Global Phenology Comments: | Active throughout the year. | ||||||||||
| Provincial Phenology: (1st half of month/ 2nd half of month) |
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| Colonial Breeder: | N | ||||||||||
| Length(cm)/width(cm)/Weight(g): | 15/ / 41 | ||||||||||
| Elevation (m) (min / max): |
Global:
Provincial: |
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| Distribution | |||||||||||
| Endemic: | N | ||||||||||
| Global Range Comment: | Southwestern British Columbia and adjacent Alberta, Canada,Labrador west to southwestern Yukon Territory, south through south through the Olympic Mountains, Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada, and Rocky Mountains to northern New Mexico, central Utah, and northern California, and disjunctly to east-central California and western Nevada (Wilson and Reeder 1993). Generally above 750 m in the western U.S. and to above 3000 m in the Rockies and California. | ||||||||||
| Authors / Contributors | |||||||||||
| Global Information Author: | Hammerson, G. | ||||||||||
| Last Updated: | Apr 07, 1993 | ||||||||||
| Provincial Information Author: | |||||||||||
| Last Updated: | |||||||||||
| References and Related Literature | |||||||||||
Banfield, A. W. F. 1974. The mammals of Canada. University of Toronto Press, Toronto, Canada. 438 pp. |
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Hall, E. R. 1981a. The Mammals of North America, second edition. Vols. I & II. John Wiley & Sons, New York, New York. 1181 pp. |
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Howell, A. B. 1926. Voles of the genus Phenacomys. I. Revision of the genus Phenacomys. II. Life history of the red tree mouse (Phenacomys longicaudus). North American Fauna 48: i-iv, 1-66. |
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Ingles, L. G. 1965. Mammals of the Pacific States. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California. |
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Jones, J. K., Jr., R. S. Hoffman, D. W. Rice, C. Jones, R. J. Baker, and M. D. Engstrom. 1992a. Revised checklist of North American mammals north of Mexico, 1991. Occasional Papers, The Museum, Texas Tech University, 146:1-23. |
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McAllister, J. A. and R. S. Hoffman. 1988. Phenacomys intermedius. Mammalian Species 305:1-8. |
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Nagorsen, D. W. 2005b. The rodents and lagomorphs of British Columbia. Royal B.C. Mus. Handb., Victoria, BC. 410pp. |
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Wilson, D. E., and D. M. Reeder (editors). 1993. Mammal species of the world: a taxonomic and geographic reference. Second edition. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC. xviii + 1206 pp. Available online at: http://www.nmnh.si.edu/msw/. |
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Please visit the website Conservation Status Ranks for definitions of the data fields used in this summary report.
Suggested Citation:
B.C. Conservation Data Centre. 1993. Species Summary: Phenacomys intermedius. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed Jun 4, 2026).