Bank Vole vs Whinchat

Myodes glareolus compared with Saxicola rubetra

Key Differences

• Bank Vole is Least Concern while Whinchat is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bank Vole	Whinchat
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Rodentia (Rodents)	Passeriformes (Songbirds)
Family	Cricetidae	Muscicapidae
Genus	Myodes	Saxicola
Species	Myodes glareolus	Saxicola rubetra

Evolutionary Relationship

Bank Vole and Whinchat share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Bank Vole

LC — Least Concern

Whinchat

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bank Vole	Whinchat
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Bank Vole

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Found across Europe (5 countries) and North America (Canada).

Whinchat

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden. Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Bank Vole

Bank Vole (Myodes glareolus) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.

Whinchat

Whinchat (Saxicola rubetra) is classified as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List. Facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild due to severe population decline and habitat loss.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden