Rhode Island’s occurrence databases hold 38 southern flying squirrel records, one of the thinner tallies among the state’s small mammals. That’s less a sign of scarcity than of a nocturnal glider that most people never see, even where it’s denning nearby.
Cavity trees in the western uplands
Arcadia Management Area’s older stands of oak and pine carry the woodpecker-cut cavities and natural hollows this squirrel needs for a den, whether it’s raising young alone in summer or huddling with a dozen or more denmates through the coldest nights of winter.
Old shade trees along the bay
Colt State Park sits right against Narragansett Bay in Bristol, its mowed lawns and shoreline broken up by huge, decades-old shade trees left from the property’s days as a private farm estate. Those scattered legacy trees, not a continuous forest, still give the species enough cavities and canopy connections to glide between, a very different setting from the closed woods at Arcadia.
Winter reports climb at the bird feeder
Rhode Island’s reports peak in January, November, and December rather than any warmer month. Flying squirrels raid backyard bird feeders at night once natural food gets scarce, and that’s when a homeowner with a porch light or trail camera is most likely to notice a species that otherwise stays hidden after dark.
Status in Rhode Island
The southern flying squirrel is native to Rhode Island, per USGS NAS and NatureServe Explorer records. NatureServe ranks it S5, secure, matching its globally secure G5 rank.
