Alternate name: Chickaree/Pine Squirrel
Family: Sciuridae, Squirrels view all from this family
Description Upperparts reddish gray or brownish gray, grading into chestnut-brown on middle of back; underparts grayish to orangish. Upperparts grayer in winter. Blackish line on sides in summer; indistinct or absent in winter. Upperside of tail similar to back, except terminal third blackish; underneath, tail is rusty in center, bordered by broad black band with whitish edge. Small ear tufts in winter. L 10 5/8–14" (270–355 mm); T 3 7/8–6 1/8" (100–156 mm); HF 1 3/4–2 1/4" (44–57 mm); Wt 5 1/4–10 1/2 oz (150–300 g).
Similar Species Red Squirrel has white to grayish-white underparts and is usually brighter red above.
Breeding Mates in early spring; litter of 4–6 young born May–June; sometimes a second litter August–October.
Habitat Primarily coniferous forests.
Range Southwestern British Columbia, w Washington, w and c Oregon, and n California.
Discussion Very active throughout the year, Douglas’ Squirrel runs about in trees and on the ground, although during storms it usually remains in its nest. It eats new shoots of conifers, green vegetation, acorns, nuts, mushrooms, fruits, and berries. In late summer and fall, this squirrel cuts cones from tree limbs and feeds on the seeds at special feeding stations in trees, below which discarded scales pile into middens. It stores green cones in moist places to keep them tender and often caches mushrooms in forks of trees. Douglas’ Squirrel builds a summer nest mainly of mosses and lichens, twigs, and shredded bark, but sometimes builds a top on a deserted bird’s nest; in winter, it nests in tree holes. The young of this species first venture out in August, and families remain together for much of the first year. Noisier than most, Douglas’ Squirrel has a large repertoire of calls, including a trill. American Martens, Bobcats, house cats, and owls are its predators. People harvest the cone caches for seeds to plant nursery trees.
