Montana mammals

Northern Flying Squirrel in Montana

Glaucomys sabrinus

Native to Montana S5 Secure in Montana

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

IUCN Red List status

LC – Least Concern

Widespread and abundant; not at risk.

Photo: Henrique Pacheco · CC BY 4.0Northern Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus)Photo: PJTurgeon · CC BY-SA 3.0Northern Flying SquirrelPhoto: Thompson Hyggen · CC0Northern Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus)Photo: Master Larry, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service · Public domainVirginia northern flying squirrel on a tree glaucomys sabrinus fuscus

Northern Flying Squirrel in Montana, by the numbers

Occasional in Montana 76th most recorded of 122 mammals logged in Montana

119 occurrence records

Records from 2000–2026.

119 total records count every Montana occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the monthly chart covers the 115 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Northern Flying Squirrel in Montana

Most sightings fall in June.

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

Monthly Montana records (table)

Month	Records
January	4
February	17
March	5
April	3
May	1
June	23
July	13
August	10
September	10
October	15
November	12
December	2

Monthly northern flying squirrel occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in Montana, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in Montana, with recorded sightings peaking in June, with a smaller rise in October and February.

Occurrence map

Where Northern Flying Squirrel has been recorded in Montana

119 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

119 Montana records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monument	iNaturalist records
Flathead Lake Biological Station	9
Gallatin National Forest	4
Kootenai National Forest	3
Lolo National Forest	2
Glacier National Park	2
Bob Marshall Wilderness	1

Protected places with the most northern flying 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 Montana

County	Records
Missoula County	53
Lake County	19
Ravalli County	15
Lincoln County	7
Powell County	6
Flathead County	5
Park County	3
Judith Basin County	2
Glacier County	2
Silver Bow County	2
Lewis and Clark County	1
Gallatin County	1
3 other counties	3

The complete county distribution, spread across 15 Montana counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Northern flying squirrel holds 119 records in Montana, reaching from Red Rock Lakes to Flathead Lake and the Missouri River corridor’s forested edges. As a strictly nocturnal glider, the species is almost never seen in daylight, so nearly all of this documentation comes from nest-box surveys and trapping rather than casual sightings.

Reports show three loose peaks, February, June through July, and September, more likely reflecting scattered research trapping projects than a single clean seasonal rhythm. NatureServe ranks the species S5, Secure, in Montana.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

Full species profile Northern Flying Squirrel Glaucomys sabrinus Size 25–37 cm9.8–14.6 in Weight 148 g5.2 oz Lifespan Up to 14.2 yr View the full profile

More mammals in Montana 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"