Oregon mammals

Least Chipmunk in Oregon

Neotamias minimus

Native to Oregon S4 Apparently Secure in Oregon

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

IUCN Red List status

LC – Least Concern

Widespread and abundant; not at risk.

Photo: John D Reynolds · CC BY 4.0Least Chipmunk in natural habitatPhoto: Daughter Dad · CC BY 4.0Least chipmunk moving through low grassPhoto: Syd Cannings · CC BY 4.0Least chipmunk foraging in green groundcoverPhoto: Daughter Dad · CC BY 4.0Least chipmunk among dry leavesPhoto: Pete Schwartz · CC BY 4.0Least chipmunk at the edge of open cover

Least Chipmunk (Neotamias minimus) — Photo: John D Reynolds · CC BY 4.0Least Chipmunk in natural habitatPhoto: Daughter Dad · CC BY 4.0Least chipmunk moving through low grassPhoto: Syd Cannings · CC BY 4.0Least chipmunk foraging in green groundcoverPhoto: Daughter Dad · CC BY 4.0Least chipmunk among dry leavesPhoto: Pete Schwartz · CC BY 4.0Least chipmunk at the edge of open cover

Least Chipmunk in Oregon, by the numbers

Occasional in Oregon 67th most recorded of 178 mammals logged in Oregon

261 occurrence records

Records from 2000–2026.

When to look for the Least Chipmunk in Oregon

Most sightings fall in June to July.

261 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)

Month	Records
January	2
February	0
March	3
April	24
May	28
June	86
July	66
August	29
September	15
October	8
November	0
December	0

Monthly least chipmunk occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in Oregon, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

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

Occurrence map

Where Least Chipmunk has been recorded in Oregon

261 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

261 Oregon records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monument	iNaturalist records
Crater Lake National Park	3
Steens Mountain Wilderness Area	1
Newberry National Volcanic Monument	1

Protected places with the most least chipmunk 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

County	Records
Deschutes County	140
Harney County	68
Lake County	20
Union County	10
Wallowa County	7
Klamath County	4
Grant County	3
Baker County	3
Crook County	3
Wasco County	2
Umatilla County	1

The complete county distribution, spread across 11 Oregon counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Least-chipmunk records in Oregon point mainly to the dry interior, with Malheur and Klamath Marsh national wildlife refuges offering much stronger geographic context than the wetter Willamette Valley. Reports are concentrated from April through July and fall away sharply after midsummer. Those records show when and where animals were documented, not the abundance of chipmunks or the suitability of every named refuge.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist.

Full species profile Least Chipmunk Neotamias minimus Size 10–11 cm3.9–4.3 in Weight 41–47 g1.4–1.7 oz Lifespan Up to 10 yr 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"