The western heather vole (Phenacomys intermedius) is a small vole found in western North America. Until recently, the eastern heather vole (P. ungava) was considered to be a subspecies. They have short ears with stiff orange hair inside and a short thin tail which is paler underneath. Their long soft fur is brownish with silver grey underparts. They are roughly long with a tail length shorter than one-half their body length, approximately . They weigh about .
Distribution and habitat
Western heather voles are found in alpine meadows, open shrubby areas, dry forests with shrubs below to provide cover and tundra regions, usually near water, in British Columbia, the Yukon and the western United States.
In summer, they live in burrows where they make nests of grasses and small foliage. These nests are usually near the surface, above 20 cm from the ground, and after often underneath objects such as rocks and logs. In winter, they tunnel under the snow. They store food for later use year-round.
When captured, western heather vole are docile and non-aggressive, though are generally more aggressive during breeding season. as during the Last Glacian Maximum, western heather voles have populations much farther south than they are currently, some as far south as Tennessee and Arkansas.