American Red Squirrel

American red squirrels, Tamiasciurus hudsonicus, are very appealing little creatures.  Also known as pine squirrels or chickarees, their fur color is variable, and not always red, but they consistently have white bellies and white rings around their eyes.  Part of their cuteness may arise from their small size compared to other tree squirrels. 

Red squirrels' favorite foods are conifer seeds.  They can often be spotted busily nibbling away at cones, sometimes making a big mess of discarded scales underneath a particular perch.  They will also eat mushrooms, fruits, insects and bird eggs or nestlings.

Often the presence of a red squirrel is announced by their barking and chattering sounds.  They do not like to share their territory with anyone, and they make their displeasure very clear!

The websiteofeverything.com states that a young red squirrel "is called a 'pup, kit or kitten'. The females are called 'doe' and males 'buck'. A red squirrel group is called a 'dray or scurry'."  They certainly scurry very agilely through the trees, a helpful adaptation since they are a favorite prey of very quick animals like martens, hawks and owls.

Several websites report red squirrels being agile swimmers as well as climbers, but evidence seems to be scarce.  As shown by my photos, about three out of four red squirrels spotted are in trees!