• Prominant ears

• Long tail

• Large eyes

• Pointed muzzle

• Small ears

• Tiny eyes

• Long snout

• Short fur

• Small, pinned back ears

• Short tail

• Blunt muzzle

• Stocky body

Image: Duncan Hull

House mouse (Mus musculus)

• Head and body length: 6-10cm

• Tail length: 6-10cm

• Dusty brown/ grey colour, with a pale underbelly

• Smaller ears and eyes than the wood mouse (relative to body size)

• Muzzle is quite pointed

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Image: Hanna Knutsson

Wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus)

Also known as the field mouse

• Head and body length: 6-10cm

• Tail length: 7-9.5cm

• Colouration can vary, but is commonly more golden than the house mouse

• Often has a darker stripe running along its back

• Pale underbelly, occasionally having a small yellow patch on the chest

• Larger ears and eyes than the house mouse (relative to body size)

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Image: Gareth Christian

Yellow-necked mouse (Apodemus flavicollis)

Often confused with the wood mouse

• Head and body length: 9-12cm

• Tail length: 8-11cm

• Golden in colour, very similar to the wood mouse

• Whiter underbelly than the wood mouse, with an unbroken band of yellow across the chest

• Ears and eyes are larger than those of the wood mouse (relative to body size)

• Can be found towards the south of England, the West Midlands and eastern parts of Wales

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Image: Chris Parker

Harvest mouse (Mycromys minutus)

• Head and body length: 5-8cm

• Tail length: 5-8cm

• Arond the size of a human thumb

• Mid to light brown/golden in colour, similar to the wood mouse

• Pale underbelly

• Ears are furry and pinned back. Also ears are relatively smaller than those of other mice

• Muzzle is not as pointed as other mice

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Image: Jean-Jaques Bujot

Brown rat (Rattus norvegicus)

• Head and body length: 21-29cm

• Tail length: 17-23cm

• Similar in appearance to the house mouse ... but around 3x bigger!

• Dusty brown/ grey colour, with a pale underbelly

• Quite large ears and eyes

• Muzzle is pointed

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Bank vole

or field vole?

Check the tail...

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Bank voles have longer tails (two thirds body length) than field voles (half body length)

Image: Hanna Knutsson

Bank vole (Myodes glareolus)

• Head and body length: 8-12cm

• Tail length: 3.3-4.8cm

• Tail is around two thirds the length of the body

• Smaller eyes, ears and tail than a mouse

• Stocky build

• Similar in appearance to the harvest mouse

• Can be dusty brown/ grey, but typically more of a chestnut brown colour

• Pale grey underbelly

• Muzzle is blunt, unlike mice

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Image: Rudmer Zwerver

Field vole (Microtus agrestis)

• Head and body length: 9-11cm

• Tail length: 2-5cm

• Tail is around half the length of the body

• Smaller eyes, ears and tail than a mouse

• Stocky build

• Small, furry ears (furrier than the bank vole)

• Brown or dusty brown/ grey

• Pale grey underbelly

• Muzzle is blunt, unlike mice

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Did you know?

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Shrews aren't rodents, unlike mice and voles.

Instead, shrews are

more closely related to moles and hedgehogs, eating small invertebrates

Image: Hanna Knutsson

Common shrew (sorex araneus)

• Head and body length: 5.5-8.5cm

• Tail length: 3-5.5cm

• Small ears, tucked back against head

• Tail is around half the length of the head & body

• Dark brown in colour, with light brown flanks and a pale grey/white underbelly

• Very small eyes

• Elongated snout

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Image: Philip Hay

Pygmy shrew (sorex minutus)

• Head and body length: 4-6.5cm

• Tail length: 3-4.5cm

• Smaller than the common shrew

• Very small eyes

• Elongated snout

• Small ears, tucked back against head

• Dark brown in colour, with a pale grey/white underbelly

• Tail is longer than that of the common shrew, relative to body size (around 65-80% the length of the head & body)

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