Eastern Gray Squirrel
Sciurus carolinensis
Also known as: Grey Squirrel, Gray Squirrel, Eastern Grey Squirrel, Ardilla Gris Oriental, Ecureuil Gris
Habitat
Canopy
Diet
PlantSeed
Active Time
Diurnal
Size
507 g
About This Species
A common tree squirrel of deciduous and mixed woodland, parks, and gardens across eastern North America, active during the day as it forages in the tree canopy and on the ground for nuts, seeds, and buds. It builds conspicuous leaf nests high in tree forks and is most visible in autumn, when it is busy caching food for winter. Watch for it scurrying along branches or burying acorns in lawns on any clear day in a park with mature trees.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- This species is habituated to people in many urban parks and will often approach closely on its own, but it should not be hand-fed, since this encourages bites and can spread disease between animals and people.
- It has no special legal protection in most of its native range as a common species, though local park or wildlife feeding ordinances may apply, so check local rules before feeding.
- Keep dogs leashed nearby, since squirrels foraging on the ground are frequently chased and injured in areas where they are otherwise unbothered.
Seasonal Activity
589,149 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Rodentia
- Family
- Sciuridae
Traits
- Diet
- PlantSeed
- Foraging
- Canopy
- Activity
- Diurnal
- Body mass
- 507 g
- Home range
- 1 ha
Photo
(c) lwolfartist, some rights reserved (CC BY)
CC-BY-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.