The North American red squirrel is a sight in Colorado’s high forests. Open occurrence databases hold 2,027 records for it, including 293 iNaturalist observations, a reflection of how noisy and conspicuous this little conifer specialist is once you are in its territory.
A creature of the spruce and pine
Red squirrels are bound to cone-bearing forest. In Colorado that means the montane and subalpine belt of spruce, fir, lodgepole, and ponderosa, and the records track exactly that band up the Front Range and across the western mountains. Larimer and Boulder counties lead the tally, with Rocky Mountain National Park a dependable stronghold. Where the conifers give out, so do the squirrels.
Active straight through winter
Unlike the marmots and ground squirrels it shares the high country with, the red squirrel does not hibernate. It rides out the mountain winter on a hoarded larder called a midden, a cool, damp pile of green cones it builds through the summer and defends fiercely all year. Observation records peak in the warm months because that is when hikers and squirrels alike are most active, not because the animal vanishes in the cold. Listen for its scolding rattle long before you spot it.
Status in Colorado
Native and secure, ranked S5 by NatureServe. Its relentless cone-caching and territorial chatter make it one of the most audible mammals in the Colorado high country, and a key food source for pine martens and forest hawks.
Full species profile
