Deer Mouse

Deer Mouse

Peromyscus maniculatus

Silhouette: Nina Skinner · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Chicago

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%

13 Verified sightings at Chicago
69 In all 8 parks From 2019 to 2026
December Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Deer Mouse

The eastern deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) is a rodent native to eastern North America. It is a species of the genus Peromyscus, a closely related group of New World mice often called "deermice". When formerly grouped with the western deermouse (P. sonoriensis), it was once referred to as the North American deermouse, a species that is no longer recognized. It is fairly widespread across most of North America east of the Mississippi River, with the major exception being the lowland Southeastern United States.

Like certain other Peromyscus species, it can be a vector and carrier of emerging infectious diseases such as hantaviruses and Lyme disease. It is closely related to Peromyscus leucopus, the white-footed mouse. The species in its former broad sense had 61 subspecies, but some of these now belong to P. sonoriensis. They are all tiny mammals that are plentiful in number. The eastern deermouse is a small rodent that lives in eastern North America and is closely related to the white-footed mouse, Peromyscus leucopus. Because the two species are extremely similar in appearance, they are best distinguished through red blood cell agglutination tests or karyotype techniques... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Isle Royale National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~30%
2 Redwood National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
3 Channel Islands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
4 Glacier National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
5 Jasper National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
6 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
7 Banff National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
8 Olympic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Portland 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
2 Seattle 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
3 Edmonton 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
4 Vancouver 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
5 Montreal 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
6 Calgary 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
7 Toronto 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
8 Chicago 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
9 Washington 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
10 Los Angeles 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Deer Mouse in Chicago?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Deer Mouse sighting in Chicago on a given day, based on 13 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 21st most-seen of the 26 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Deer Mouse in Chicago?

December and January

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Deer Mouse in Chicago on a given day, against under 5% in February to November, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Deer Mouse?

Between noon and 3 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Deer Mouse sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Chicago the best place to see a Deer Mouse?

8th of 10

Of the 10 cities where we can rate Deer Mouse sightings, Chicago ranks 8th at under 5%. The best odds are in Portland (United States, about 10%), Seattle (United States, about 10%) and Edmonton (Canada, about 10%).

Where does the Deer Mouse sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Deer Mouse is recorded against all the mammals logged in Chicago (13 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

← Back to Chicago