Animal profile

European roe deer

Capreolus capreolus

MammaliaWoodland edge, scrub, farmland mosaic and open fieldLeast Concern

Field profile

The roe deer is a small, mostly solitary deer with short three-tined antlers on the buck and a pale rump patch that flares when it flees. It has expanded strongly across European farmland in recent decades.

Published field notes

2024-02-21

European roe deer

Roe deer put the embryo on hold for months

Roe deer mate in high summer, but the fertilised egg stops developing and drifts free in the uterus until midwinter. It is the only deer known to use this delay, which lines birth up with spring growth after a summer rut.

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