Red Squirrel

An American Red Squirrel calling from a spruce branch. Roan Mountain, NC.

To find the elusive Red Squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) you must only find the right habitat. In fact, the red squirrel occurs in almost every frigid, northern or mountain forest in the United States and Canada. However, their small size and cautious antics shield them from view anywhere they're not habituated to humans. Their diet is largely composed of conifer seeds, and the dense forests where these cones grow are far-removed from human inhabitation. Spruces, firs, pines and any other “Christmas-tree” conifer that yields nutritious, hidden seeds within cones makes up the largest part of a red squirrel’s diet (hence the alternative name “pine squirrel”). Luckily, these small squirrels have little competition. 

Half the size of a gray squirrel, they are louder and hardier than their deciduous relatives. In fact, red squirrels can easily hold their ground against gray squirrels and defend their habitat from larger relatives by sheer aggression and strength. This same strength allows them to survive harsh, boreal winters. Although the climate in the Southern Appalachians is mild compared to the far north, red squirrels still must build underground nests (called “dreys”) to survive many consecutive days of snow. Often, red squirrels are comfortable foraging in surprising depths of snow and temperatures lethal to a gray squirrel, after winter storms subside. In fact, their light weight helps them walk atop the crust of deep, lasting snow without sinking.

Due to the fluctuation of cone crops from year to year, red squirrels are dependent upon large caches of seed cones stored in enormous, almost comical piles behind logs, under rocks, and among tree roots. When spruce, white pine, and fir cones are abundant, the small squirrels frantically gather them. Legend has it that the red squirrel is spry enough to cut a pine cone from a tall tree branch, and run to the ground to snatch it by the time it falls. In fact, the constant dispersal of conifer seeds facilitated by the squirrels can help establish the next generation of conifers. 

Despite their staple food source of pine, spruce and fir seeds, red squirrels find clever ways to pry tasty morsels out of their rugged homelands. To survive in such a climate, they must be opportunistic to some extent. One of their most remarkable feeding habits even involves food preservation. In the late summer and fall, when mushrooms burst forth from the fertile mountain forest ground, red squirrels will pick mushrooms and dry them on tree branches. Later, they can eat and store these dried snacks. Red squirrels are also known to feed on fruits, berries and nuts from deciduous trees when food is abundant, as well as insects and some green leaves. In fact, they will even eat bird eggs and nestlings when they can locate a nest.

Referred to as “mountain boomers” or “chickarees” for their famous calls, red squirrels fill the dawn with their chirps and echoing chatter; proclaiming their territories and availability. But when a potential threat passes through the woods, a red squirrel will climb six to eight feet into a tree and screech strange, raspy calls to alert other squirrels of the danger. This alert will be passed from squirrel to squirrel until the whole forest is full of the noise. As this chorus rises, other animals such as birds can recognize this call and respond accordingly. This behavior gives the squirrel an impressive role, recognized by humans and birds alike for millennia; coined “sentinel of the taiga” by boreal researcher Bernd Heinrich in his book "Winter World."

Red Squirrel tracks in powder snow. Roan Mountain State Park, TN.

The Southern Appalachian Red Squirrel subspecies ranges from the cold, subalpine peaks of northern West Virginia to the warmer balsam mountains of Georgia. The subspecies name “abieticola” means  “of the fir trees,” referring to the scarce, high-elevation habitat of the small squirrel. They are seldom found away from forests above 2,000 feet in elevation,  often closer to 3,000 to 6,000 feet. The endemic Fraser Fir (Abies fraseri), Red Spruce (Picea rubens) and less-endemic Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus) are necessary to support the species, and often lead naturalists and hunters to their quarry.


A Red Squirrel may be identified by its striking red coloration, white venter, and a characteristic thick, black line running down each side with round ears. Red Squirrels are larger than flying squirrels and chipmunks, but are much smaller than similar gray squirrels and fox squirrels with which they are often confused. Fox squirrels are most often confused with red squirrels since they're red as well, but have a blackish head and mixed gray-orange fur on their back and a white nose. But the easiest distinguishing factor lies in natural history. Fox squirrels are much larger than red squirrels and prefer grassland and field habitats rather than dark, evergreen forests; not to mention that they mainly occur in lower elevation habitats than their boreal relatives.