Red Squirrel
The Red Squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) is a tree squirrel that is approximately 25 to 30 percent smaller than the Eastern Gray Squirrel, coming it at around 10.5 to 15 inches in length. It weighs, on average, approximately 7.5 ounces. It is characterized by a deep reddish color, although this color can vary to some degree between individuals, a white underside, a white eye ring, and ear tufts that are present during the winter months. They usually have a distinctive reddish or brown lateral band running down the back. The tail of the Red Squirrel is generally smaller and flatter than other tree squirrels, and it can vary in color from reddish to grayish-yellow with a black line that runs the length of the tail. Males and females look similar.
The Red Squirrel is found primarily in northern coniferous forests. Their range extends from Quebec and Ontario west to Alaska. They are also found south along the Appalachian Mountain range to Tennessee and North Carolina along the mountaintops in the Spruce-Fir forest. They also occur south along the Rocky Mountain range to New Mexico.
They can occur in various habitat conditions due to the great range that they cover. During the winter months, in the southern latitudes, these squirrels will often venture down from the mountaintops to forage at lower altitudes. I have found these little guys wandering around various parts of Cades Coves in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the winter.
This little guy will often announce his disdain of your presence by unleashing a chattering, twittering, spitting, and sputtering sound from within the confines of a conifer. In many cases, the source of this odd sound, often mistaken for a bird, is not visible. In southern Appalachia this species is sometimes referred to as a Mountain Boomer.
The Red Squirrel's diet typically includes conifer seeds, mushrooms, tree buds and flowers, fruits, tree sap, insects, bird eggs, and other foods when available. They are hoarders. In late summer through the fall, they often harvest cones and store them in one of a few central food stores, known as middens. This cache of seeds and cones is stored in a cool, moist place that is easy to defend.
In the eastern United States and Canada, these squirrels often engage in scatter hoarding where they have many small hoards instead of large middens. This scatter hoarding that many species of squirrels engage in is important to the ecosystem as a dispersal method for the seeds of many plants. Because the squirrels do not always remember where they hid/buried a lot of their winter stores, new seedlings sprout up the following season.
Click on the player below to hear the Red Squirrel.
The Red Squirrel is found primarily in northern coniferous forests. Their range extends from Quebec and Ontario west to Alaska. They are also found south along the Appalachian Mountain range to Tennessee and North Carolina along the mountaintops in the Spruce-Fir forest. They also occur south along the Rocky Mountain range to New Mexico.
They can occur in various habitat conditions due to the great range that they cover. During the winter months, in the southern latitudes, these squirrels will often venture down from the mountaintops to forage at lower altitudes. I have found these little guys wandering around various parts of Cades Coves in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the winter.
This little guy will often announce his disdain of your presence by unleashing a chattering, twittering, spitting, and sputtering sound from within the confines of a conifer. In many cases, the source of this odd sound, often mistaken for a bird, is not visible. In southern Appalachia this species is sometimes referred to as a Mountain Boomer.
The Red Squirrel's diet typically includes conifer seeds, mushrooms, tree buds and flowers, fruits, tree sap, insects, bird eggs, and other foods when available. They are hoarders. In late summer through the fall, they often harvest cones and store them in one of a few central food stores, known as middens. This cache of seeds and cones is stored in a cool, moist place that is easy to defend.
In the eastern United States and Canada, these squirrels often engage in scatter hoarding where they have many small hoards instead of large middens. This scatter hoarding that many species of squirrels engage in is important to the ecosystem as a dispersal method for the seeds of many plants. Because the squirrels do not always remember where they hid/buried a lot of their winter stores, new seedlings sprout up the following season.
Click on the player below to hear the Red Squirrel.
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