Oregon mammals

Long-tailed Weasel in Oregon

Neogale frenata

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.

Long-tailed weasel standing alert in grass with its black-tipped tail curled behind it, Sonoma County, CaliforniaLong-tailed weasel pausing at the edge of a paved trail beside tall grass, San Francisco, CaliforniaLong-tailed weasel peering over a log, showing its cream underside and brown crown, VermontLong-tailed weasel with a bridled black-and-white facial mask peering through a gap in deck boards, TexasLong-tailed weasel standing alert among limestone rocks, New Mexico
Photo: benjchristensen · CC BY 4.0Long-tailed weasel standing alert in grass with its black-tipped tail curled behind it, Sonoma County, CaliforniaPhoto: Jay Paroline · CC BY 4.0Long-tailed weasel pausing at the edge of a paved trail beside tall grass, San Francisco, CaliforniaPhoto: Bernie Paquette · CC BY 4.0Long-tailed weasel peering over a log, showing its cream underside and brown crown, VermontPhoto: johnyochum · CC BY 4.0Long-tailed weasel with a bridled black-and-white facial mask peering through a gap in deck boards, TexasPhoto: Bob Nieman · CC BY 4.0Long-tailed weasel standing alert among limestone rocks, New Mexico

Long-tailed Weasel in Oregon, by the numbers

Common in Oregon 54th most recorded of 178 mammals logged in Oregon

357 occurrence records
245 with iNaturalist photos
Jul 8, 2026 Last seen in Oregon

Records from 2000–2026.

357 total records count every Oregon occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 300; the monthly chart covers the 356 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Long-tailed Weasel in Oregon

Most sightings fall in May to July.

356 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
January13
February20
March9
April11
May49
June62
July74
August44
September23
October14
November20
December17

Monthly long-tailed weasel occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in Oregon, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

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

Occurrence map

Where Long-tailed Weasel has been recorded in Oregon

300 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

299 Oregon records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Steens Mountain Wilderness Area 3
Summer Lake Wildlife Area 2
Cape Perpetua Scenic Area 1
Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area 1
Gearhart Mountain Wilderness 1
Lewis and Clark National Historical Park 1
Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve 1
Hells Canyon Wilderness 1

Protected places with the most long-tailed weasel 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
Deschutes County 47
Tillamook County 44
Harney County 31
Multnomah County 29
Clatsop County 20
Lake County 18
Washington County 18
Union County 15
Lane County 12
Douglas County 10
Curry County 10
Clackamas County 10
21 other counties 93

The complete county distribution, spread across 33 Oregon counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Long-tailed-weasel records cross much of Oregon’s environmental range, linking Malheur’s wetlands and high desert with Deschutes forest and the Columbia River Gorge. Encounters are most frequently documented from May through August, whereas winter reports are comparatively sparse. These opportunistic records show a broad footprint and seasonal reporting window, not where weasels are most abundant.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist.

Long-tailed weasel standing alert in grass with its black-tipped tail curled behind it, Sonoma County, California
Full species profile Long-tailed Weasel Neogale frenata Size 24.8 cm9.8 in Weight 170 g6 oz Lifespan Up to 8.8 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"