Oregon mammals

Belding's Ground Squirrel in Oregon

Urocitellus beldingi

Native to Oregon S5 Secure in Oregon

Not listed as nonindigenous in Oregon by USGS NAS; native to its Oregon range.

IUCN Red List status

  1. LC
  2. NT
  3. VU
  4. EN
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX

LC – Least Concern

Widespread and abundant; not at risk.

SQUIRREL, BELDING'S GROUND (Spermophilus beldingi) (8-1-2016) 10,000 ft,, ruby mts., elko co, nv (7) (29286699865)Live Belding's ground squirrel standing upright at a burrow entranceSQUIRREL, BELDING'S GROUND (spermophilis beldingi) (6-29-09) east of tioga pass, ca -02 (9645840154)2009-Beldings-Ground-SquirrelBelding's Ground Squirrel (Urocitellus beldingi)Belding's Ground Squirrel (Urocitellus beldingi)
Photo: ALAN SCHMIERER · CC0SQUIRREL, BELDING'S GROUND (Spermophilus beldingi) (8-1-2016) 10,000 ft,, ruby mts., elko co, nv (7) (29286699865)Photo: Julian Pietragalla · CC BY 4.0Live Belding's ground squirrel standing upright at a burrow entrancePhoto: ALAN SCHMIERER · CC0SQUIRREL, BELDING'S GROUND (spermophilis beldingi) (6-29-09) east of tioga pass, ca -02 (9645840154)Photo: Yathin S Krishnappa · CC BY-SA 3.02009-Beldings-Ground-SquirrelPhoto: Ben Sims · CC0Belding's Ground Squirrel (Urocitellus beldingi)Photo: Ben Sims · CC0Belding's Ground Squirrel (Urocitellus beldingi)

Belding's Ground Squirrel in Oregon, by the numbers

Common in Oregon 20th most recorded of 178 mammals logged in Oregon

1,839 occurrence records
1,264 with iNaturalist photos
Jul 9, 2026 Last seen in Oregon

Records from 2000–2026.

1,839 total records count every Oregon occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 300; the monthly chart covers the 1,837 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Belding's Ground Squirrel in Oregon

Most sightings fall in April to June.

1,837 Oregon occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) by month of year, 2000–2026. Shows when the species is recorded, not a guarantee of presence.

Monthly Oregon records (table)
MonthRecords
January3
February96
March106
April513
May520
June400
July141
August51
September4
October2
November1
December0

Monthly belding's ground squirrel occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in Oregon, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in Oregon, with recorded sightings peaking in April–June.

Occurrence map

Where Belding's Ground Squirrel has been recorded in Oregon

300 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

300 Oregon records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Deschutes National Forest 42
Winema National Forest 10
Fremont National Forest 10
Steens Mountain Wilderness Area 8
Ladd Marsh Wildlife Area 4
Tumalo State Park 3
Summer Lake Wildlife Area 3
Newberry National Volcanic Monument 3

Protected places with the most belding's ground squirrel sightings, from the USGS Protected Areas Database plus named mountain ranges, good spots to look, not a full breakdown, so they don't sum to the total.

Where it's recorded in Oregon

CountyRecords
Harney County 386
Baker County 288
Grant County 285
Deschutes County 155
Klamath County 152
Union County 115
Wallowa County 110
Lake County 102
Crook County 56
Jefferson County 50
Malheur County 50
Douglas County 42
4 other counties 48

The complete county distribution, spread across 16 Oregon counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Belding’s ground squirrel records emphasize eastern and central Oregon, especially Malheur National Wildlife Refuge and Deschutes National Forest, with John Day Fossil Beds representing similar dry, open country. Documentation surges from April through June and is nearly absent from September through January, a strong activity-season signal. The concentration is a pattern of records, not a population estimate.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

SQUIRREL, BELDING'S GROUND (Spermophilus beldingi) (8-1-2016) 10,000 ft,, ruby mts., elko co, nv (7) (29286699865)
Full species profile Belding's Ground Squirrel Urocitellus beldingi Size 23–30 cm9.1–11.8 in Weight 290 g10.2 oz View the full profile

More mammals in Oregon in the atlas

Data & sources

The data and visualizations on this page draw on these open sources:

  • GBIFCC-BY 4.0occurrence records behind the range map, elevation, and record counts
  • iNaturalistCC0 / CC-BY / CC-BY-SAobservations, photos, and audio recordings
  • NatureServe ExplorerCC-BYthe state conservation rank
  • IUCN Red Listattributed factthe global conservation status
  • USGS NASpublic domainnative / introduced status
  • Natural Earthpublic domainthe relief basemap
  • USFSpublic domainnational-forest boundaries
  • USGS Protected Areas Databasepublic domainthe named parks, forests, and refuges behind "notable places to look"