Myodes rutilus
Silhouette: PhyloPic
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
The northern red-backed vole (Clethrionomys rutilus) is a small slender vole found in Alaska, northern Canada, Scandinavia and northern Russia. They have short slender bodies with a rust-colored back, light brown sides and underparts and a short thick tail. Their short ears are visible through their fur. They are 14 cm long with a 3.5 cm tail and weigh about 30 to 40 g. Their dental formula is 1/1, 0/0, 0/0, 3/3. They are active year-round, usually at night. They can cause damage to fruit trees and stored grains.
Northern red-backed voles live in a variety of northern forest and shrubland habitats. They occur in every major forest type in central Alaska. Plant species commonly found in areas occupied by northern red-backed voles include black spruce (Picea mariana), white spruce (Picea glauca), quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides), paper birch (Betula papyrifera), alder (Alnus spp.), willow (Salix spp.), mountain cranberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea), blueberry and bilberry (Vaccinium spp.), bunchberry (Cornus canadensis), and a variety of grasses and forbs. Important fungi, mosses and lichens include truffle (Endogone fascilulata), Schreber's moss... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenai Fjords National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Denali National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Novosibirsk | 🇷🇺 Russia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Universeum | 🇸🇪 Sweden |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Red-backed Vole sighting in Kenai Fjords National Park on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 12th most-seen of the 14 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June and August
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Red-backed Vole in Kenai Fjords National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May and September, the lowest months. March and October–December have too few records to rate.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Northern Red-backed Vole sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Northern Red-backed Vole sightings, Kenai Fjords National Park has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Denali National Park (United States, about 20%).
Same order: Rodentia
The closest relatives of the Northern Red-backed Vole that you can see in Kenai Fjords National Park (order Rodentia, Rodents) are Hoary Marmot (about 40%) and American Red Squirrel (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Northern Red-backed Vole is recorded against all the mammals logged in Kenai Fjords National Park (9 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
