Best time to see: all year
Key facts
Small mouse with large eyes and ears and a long tail.
Habitat mainly woods, but also more open areas.
Widespread across almost all of Europe.
Recognition
Large eyes and ears and a long tail: head/body up to 11cm, tail as long again.
Mostly nocturnal and very agile, sometimes occupying birdboxes
Eats seeds, berries, nuts, plants; carries nuts to feeding places, leaving large collections with grooved holes towards one end
Lifecycle
Nest made of grasses in a cavity, such as under a log or in an old bird's nest
Up to 4 litters a year, from spring to autumn; 3–9 young per litter, naked and helpless
Do not hibernate; life expectancy 1–2 years.
© Robert Welham