The information below is drawn from a bibliography summary by Jean-Christophe Tourneur and Stéphane Marchandeau (ONCFS, 1996) entitled "Milieux bocagers et biodiversité. Les vertébrés typiques du grand-ouest. Enjeux de la préservation de cet agroécosystème" (Bocage environments and biodiversity. Typical vertebrates of western France. Conservation issues relating to this agroecosystem).
This study covers western France only, as represented by the Bretagne, Basse-Normandie and Pays de la Loire regions and the Deux-Sèvres department. Biogeographical factors arising out of the study’s limited geographic scope result in the absence of certain species (particularly bird species), that might well be present in other bocage areas.

The first part of the study provides an overview of the:
 Characteristics of wildlife in bocage environments,
 Factors influencing wildlife populations,
 Importance of the bocage structure for the animal species found in them.

The second section focuses on wildlife in bocage environments, in a class by class approach, providing lists of species and additional information specific to each class:
 Amphibians,
 Reptiles,
 Birds,
 Mammals.