Occurs over a large geographic range and range of habitats; physical description varies with location. Body brownish or reddish to grayish, often with darker stripe down middle of back; white below. Tail similarly bicolored, nearly half total length. Large ears. Juvenile gray above; white below. L5 1/8-8 1/8"; T2 1/2-3 7/8"; HF 3/4- 7/8"; E 1/2" Wt 3/8-1 1/2 oz.

Deer Mouse is often very similar and can be difficult to distinguish. Woodland form of the Deer Mouse is generally larger, with longer hindfeet and tail. Prairie form is smaller, with shorter tail, smaller,lighter colored. Cotton Mouse is slightly larger, with larger hindfoot.

Breeding peaks in spring and fall; litters of 3-5 young; gestation is a minimum of 22 days.

Black cherry pits, acorns, or various seeds stored in, around, and under logs and tree trunks. Nests in any concealed location, constructed of a variety of materials, depending on a availability: Grasses, leaves, hair, feathers, milkweed silk, shredded bark, moss, cotton, or shredded cloth are common.

Tracks: In dust, hindprint 5/8" long, with 5 toes printing; foreprint 1/4" long and wide, with 4 toes printing; straddle,1 3/8", with foreprints printing behind and between hindprints. In mud, foreprints and hindprints each approximately 1/4" wide; straddle 1 1/2".

Primarily wooded and brushy areas, but also many cultivated and open habitats, especially adjacent to woods.

The White-footed Mouse is primarily nocturnal and active year-round, although it may remain in its nest during extremely cold weather. a few of these mice may hibernate. This species is semi-arboreal, often climbing in trees; the shrub and lower tree strata of its area are often part of its home range. The White-footed Mouse uses its tail for balance when climbing. Omnivorous, it feeds on nuts, seeds and fruits, as well as beetles, caterpillars, and other insects. Two favorite foods are the centers of black cherry pits and jewelweed seeds, the latter coloring the stomach contents turquoise blue. The White-footed Mouse stores caches of nuts and seeds in autum near the nest, often in a bird nest, the abandoned burrow of another small mammal, or a building. When a nest becomes soiled, the mouse abandons it and builds a new one in a different location. An alarmed individual will drum its forefeet rapidly.