Squirrels in Kansas: Identification Guide and Where to Start Looking

What Squirrel Species Live in Kansas?

Kansas hosts two primary tree squirrel species: the eastern fox squirrel (*Sciurus niger*) and the eastern gray squirrel (*Sciurus carolinensis*). The fox squirrel is the one you are most likely to meet because it occupies the entire state, from city backyards to open shelterbelts on the western plains. The eastern gray is more particular and stays in the wooded eastern counties, especially mature oak and hickory forest.

Beyond the two tree squirrels, three other relatives live here and are easy to confuse with them. The southern flying squirrel (*Glaucomys volans*) is small, nocturnal, and rarely seen even where it is common in eastern woodlands. The thirteen-lined ground squirrel (*Ictidomys tridecemlineatus*) is a striped, burrowing prairie animal of mowed lawns, golf courses, and grassland. The eastern chipmunk (*Tamias striatus*) is the smallest of the group, with bold facial stripes, and turns up in the far eastern part of the state. For reliable identification, start with size, then color, then where the animal is living.

How Do You Tell Eastern Fox and Gray Squirrels Apart?

Size is the first clue. Fox squirrels are large, roughly 17 to 27 inches including the tail, with a heavy build. Eastern grays are noticeably smaller and slimmer at about 15 to 20 inches.

Color is the second clue. A fox squirrel has a rusty orange to yellow brown belly and a reddish brown back, and its bushy tail is edged with the same warm orange tones. An eastern gray is silver gray on the back with a clean white belly, and its tail is fringed with white tipped hairs rather than orange.

Habitat is the third clue and often settles it. In western and central Kansas you will see only fox squirrels, since grays do not range that far into open country. In the eastern counties both occur together, so fall back on size and belly color. If you spot a large orange bellied squirrel sitting in a lone tree at a farm edge, it is a fox squirrel. A smaller gray one deep in unbroken woodland is almost always an eastern gray.

How Do You Identify the Southern Flying Squirrel?

The southern flying squirrel is the species most people in Kansas never notice, because it only moves after dark. It is small, around 8 to 10 inches including the tail, with soft brownish gray fur, very large black eyes adapted to night vision, and a flattened tail. The giveaway is the patagium, a loose fold of furred skin stretching between the front and back legs that lets the animal glide between trees rather than truly fly.

Look for them in mature eastern Kansas woodlands with oak, hickory, and standing dead trees that hold nest cavities. You are far more likely to hear soft high pitched chirps at night or find one at a bird feeder after dark than to see one in daylight. If a small squirrel appears at dusk and seems to sail from a high branch to a lower trunk, you have found a flying squirrel.

Where in Kansas Are You Most Likely to See Squirrels?

The eastern third of Kansas offers the best odds for variety. Look in oak and hickory forests along the Kansas River basin, in city parks like those in Topeka and Lawrence, and in suburban backyards where both fox and gray squirrels share the trees. The Marais des Cygnes and Neosho river corridors in the southeast are reliable for woodland species.

Fox squirrels also thrive in open woodlands, shelterbelts, and farm groves across central and western Kansas, so even on the high plains you have a good chance of seeing one. Riparian corridors along streams are productive year round because they hold the mature, nut bearing trees squirrels depend on.

See ourstate animal guidefor the next step, or browse the widerKansas wildlife hub.

When Is the Best Season for Squirrel Sightings?

Early mornings and late afternoons from late summer through early winter are prime. Squirrels are most active during feeding windows, especially after a rain. In Kansas the mast crop of acorns and walnuts peaks in September and October, drawing squirrels into open areas where they are easier to spot as they gather and bury food.

Winter sightings are still possible because none of the Kansas tree squirrels hibernate. They stay active and visible on mild days, though they hole up in leaf nests and tree cavities during hard cold snaps and snow. The ground squirrel is the exception, since it disappears into a burrow to sleep through the cold months and reappears in spring.

What Are Common Lookalikes and How Do You Avoid Confusion?

In Kansas, the thirteen-lined ground squirrel is the animal most often mistaken for a tree squirrel. It is smaller and slimmer, marked with thirteen alternating light and dark stripes broken into rows of spots down its back, and it lives in burrows in open grassland and mowed areas rather than in trees. When alarmed it bolts into a hole in the ground, which a tree squirrel will never do.

The eastern chipmunk is smaller still, with bold stripes that run across its face and a reddish rump, and it scurries along logs, rock piles, and stone walls in eastern woodlands. A simple tail test settles most confusion. Tree squirrels hold a long bushy tail arched over the back, while ground squirrels and chipmunks carry a thinner tail low and flat. If the animal has facial stripes it is a chipmunk, if it has body stripes and lives in a burrow it is a ground squirrel, and if it has a plain bushy tail held high it is a tree squirrel.

What Field Marks Should You Look For?

Focus on belly color, back color, and tail edging, in that order, because those three marks separate every common Kansas species. Eastern gray: clean white belly, gray back, tail fringed with white tipped hairs. Fox squirrel: orange to yellow brown belly, reddish brown back, larger overall, tail edged with warm orange. Southern flying squirrel: small, oversized dark eyes, loose skin fold along the flanks, only out at night.

For the ground dwellers, the thirteen-lined ground squirrel shows striping and spotting along the body, and the eastern chipmunk shows stripes across the face. In winter both tree squirrels can look paler and fluffier, so weight your call toward size and belly color rather than overall tone. You can often locate a squirrel by ear first. Listen for sharp barking alarm calls, the rustle of claws on bark, and the steady sound of a nut being gnawed.

How Do You Identify a Squirrel by Its Tracks and Signs?

When the animal itself stays out of sight, the signs it leaves are reliable. Squirrel tracks show four toes on the front foot and five on the back, and the animal bounds, so the larger hind prints land ahead of the smaller front prints in a roughly square cluster. Fox squirrel tracks run a little larger than gray squirrel tracks, which matches their bigger body.

Feeding sign is just as useful. A neatly split acorn or walnut shell, stripped pine cones left in a pile, and small scattered diggings where buried nuts were recovered all point to tree squirrels. A burrow entrance with no mound and a clean opening in a mowed lawn points instead to a ground squirrel. Bulky leaf nests, called dreys, wedged in the fork of a tall tree are built by fox and gray squirrels, while cavity nests in dead trunks are favored by flying squirrels.

What to Wear for a Squirrel Watching Trip?

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Frequently Asked Questions About Squirrels in Kansas

**Are there black squirrels in Kansas?** Sometimes. Eastern grays can produce a black morph, though it is rare. They are most often reported in Johnson County.

**What is the best time of day to see squirrels?** Early morning (6-9 a.m.) and late afternoon (4-6 p.m.) when they feed most actively.

**Do squirrels hibernate in Kansas?** No. The tree squirrels remain active year round, but may be less visible during cold snaps. They cache food and stay in nests during snow. The thirteen-lined ground squirrel does hibernate.

**How many squirrel species are in Kansas?** Five relatives occur here: the eastern fox squirrel, the eastern gray squirrel, the southern flying squirrel, the thirteen-lined ground squirrel, and the eastern chipmunk.

**Where can I learn more about Kansas wildlife?** Check ourKansas wildlife hubandsquirrel identification page. For gear, browsewildlife-themed t-shirts.

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