harvest mouse

American  

noun

1. an Old World field mouse, Micromys minutus, that builds a spherical nest among the stems of grains and other plants.

2. any of several New World mice of the genus Reithrodontomys having similar habits.

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harvest mouse British  

noun

1. a very small reddish-brown Eurasian mouse, Micromys minutus, inhabiting cornfields, hedgerows, etc, and feeding on grain and seeds: family Muridae

2. American harvest mouse any small greyish mouse of the American genus Reithrodontomys: family Cricetidae

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Etymology

Origin of harvest mouse

First recorded in 1805–15

Example Sentences

The harvest mice, which are an endangered species, tend to favour warmer and drier conditions than they would encounter normally in the wild in Scotland.

From BBC

His services are increasingly in demand from a new generation of rewilders, including wealthy landowners wanting to bring back beavers, as well as harvest mice, wildcats and white storks.

From The Guardian

The diet of a harvest mouse chiefly consists of seeds, berries and insects, though they have been known to eat moss, roots and fungi as well.

From Fox News

Discover one of the littlest rodents in Brooklyn: the Eurasian harvest mouse.

From New York Times

He was also the first to describe the harvest mouse and noctule bat.

From The Guardian