Eastern Gray Squirrel

Eastern Gray Squirrel
[Sciurus carolinensis]


Native to the eastern and midwestern United States, these sturdy and adaptable squirrels have also been introduced to South Africa, Ireland, and England. In England and Ireland, they have overrun and displaced the Red Squirrel, a native species of both islands.
A group of Squirrels is called a Drey, and this is also the name given to the type of nests they build. I see Gray Squirrels at my bird feeders every morning... most likely trying to hoard as much as they can in their secret food caches!
They are about 16 to 22 inches from nose to fluffy tail. They are mostly gray, with some reddish fur, and a white underbelly. There are some variants, black tailed, white-furred, and black-furred (it's own melanistic subgroup, called the Black Squirrel). These variants are more usually seen in urban areas where they have less of a chance of predators spotting them.