Squirrels in New Jersey: Identification Guide and Where to Start Looking

1. Which squirrel species are found in New Jersey?

New Jersey has four squirrels in the tree and gliding group plus two ground-dwelling relatives in the same family. The four are the eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis), the red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus), the southern flying squirrel (Glaucomys volans), and the fox squirrel (Sciurus niger). The eastern gray is by far the most common, seen in parks and backyards statewide. Red squirrels are smaller and prefer coniferous or mixed forests in the north and northwest. Flying squirrels are strictly nocturnal and rarely seen unless you search for them at night. The fox squirrel is the largest but is uncommon and spotty in the southern and western parts of the state.

The two ground relatives are the eastern chipmunk and the groundhog, also called a woodchuck. Both belong to the squirrel family, Sciuridae, which is why people often lump them in. Knowing all six helps you avoid the common mistake of calling every small striped or bushy-tailed animal a squirrel.

See ourstate wildlife pagefor the next step, or jump to theNew Jersey squirrel guide.

2. What are the key field marks to identify eastern gray squirrels?

Eastern gray squirrels have grayish-brown fur, a pale to white belly, and a long, bushy tail that is often silvery at the edges. They typically measure 9 to 12 inches in body length with a tail of similar length, so a full animal can stretch close to two feet. Their ears are small and rounded without tufts, which helps separate them from red squirrels in winter. Body weight runs about 1 to 1.5 pounds.

In fall you will see them on the ground burying acorns and hickory nuts one at a time, a habit called scatter-hoarding. They are active during the day, comfortable around people, and quick to climb when startled. Coat color varies. Some animals look brownish in summer and grayer in winter, and a few northern New Jersey populations include all-black individuals. When in doubt, the combination of medium size, bushy silver-edged tail, and daytime backyard activity points to the eastern gray. For deeper background on the species, see thesquirrel animal guide.

3. How can I distinguish a red squirrel from a gray squirrel?

Red squirrels are noticeably smaller than grays, around 7 to 9 inches in body length, with rusty reddish or reddish-brown fur on the back and a creamy white belly. A white ring around the eye is a reliable mark up close. In winter many red squirrels grow small ear tufts, which grays never have. Their tails are thinner and less plumed than a gray squirrel tail, and often look flattened or edged in black.

Behavior is the easiest tell at a distance. Red squirrels are loud and territorial, scolding intruders with a long rattling chatter from a branch and flicking the tail while they call. They prefer pine, spruce, and hemlock stands and mixed woods, and they pile cone scales into large middens at favorite feeding perches. Grays are quieter, larger, and far more common in suburbs and city parks. So a small, rusty, noisy squirrel in evergreens is almost certainly a red squirrel, while a calm medium gray animal at a feeder is a gray squirrel.

4. How do you tell gray, red, flying, and fox squirrels apart at a glance?

Use four quick checks: size, color, tail, and time of day. The eastern gray is medium-sized, gray-brown, with a wide bushy tail, and active in daylight. The red squirrel is the smallest of the tree squirrels, rusty red with a white eye ring and a thinner tail, active in daylight, and very vocal. The southern flying squirrel is small with silky gray-brown fur, huge dark eyes, a loose flap of gliding skin along each side, and a flattened tail, and it is active only at night. The fox squirrel is the largest, with a heavier body, a rusty or yellowish wash on the belly and tail, and a long full tail, active in daylight but rare in New Jersey.

A fast decision path: if it is out at night with big eyes and a skin flap, it is a flying squirrel. If it is a daytime squirrel, judge size. Smallest and rusty with loud chatter is a red squirrel. Medium and gray is the eastern gray. Notably large with warm reddish or yellow tones is a fox squirrel, which is worth a second look because sightings are uncommon here. Color alone can mislead because grays vary from brown to black, so always pair color with size, tail shape, and behavior.

5. Where in New Jersey are squirrels most common?

Squirrels are common statewide, but your best odds for sightings are in mature deciduous forests, parks, and suburban neighborhoods. Start with places like Watchung Reservation in Union County, South Mountain Reservation in Essex County, or Island Beach State Park in Ocean County. Backyards with oak, hickory, or walnut trees are reliable spots, especially near bird feeders.

Eastern gray squirrels thrive almost anywhere with hardwood trees, from dense city parks in Newark and Jersey City to quiet suburban streets. Red squirrels concentrate in the cooler conifer and mixed forests of the northern Highlands and the northwest, including parts of the Kittatinny Ridge. Flying squirrels live across much of the wooded state but stay hidden by day in tree cavities. Fox squirrels are the hard ones, turning up sparingly in scattered woodlots and edges in the south and west rather than in any one dependable park.

6. Where does each squirrel live within the state?

Habitat is one of the most useful clues for identification in New Jersey, because the species sort themselves by forest type. Eastern gray squirrels favor oak, hickory, and beech woods and adapt easily to towns, so they are the default squirrel in most yards and parks across all 21 counties.

Red squirrels need conifers or mixed stands, so look for them in the northern Highlands, the Kittatinny region, and planted spruce or pine groves rather than open suburbs. Southern flying squirrels prefer mature forests with standing dead trees and natural cavities for denning, common in older woodlots in both the north and the Pine Barrens. Fox squirrels in New Jersey are associated with open mixed woods, farm edges, and pine and oak country in the southern and western counties, but they remain scarce and local. When you note which trees surround the animal, you narrow the list before you even study its markings. For the state overview, see theNew Jersey squirrel guide.

7. What time of year is best for squirrel watching?

Fall is the best season because squirrels are highly active gathering and caching nuts. Early morning and late afternoon offer the most activity. Spring can be good too, especially as young emerge from nests in late spring and early summer. Summer activity tends to be lower during hot afternoons, when squirrels rest in shade or in leaf nests called dreys.

Winter sightings depend on food availability. Gray and red squirrels stay active all winter and do not truly hibernate, though they hole up during storms and bitter cold. Tracks in fresh snow make winter a surprisingly good time to confirm which species are using your yard. Flying squirrels are a year-round night challenge, easiest to detect on calm evenings at a feeder stocked with sunflower seeds. The groundhog is the exception in the family, since it is a true hibernator and disappears underground from roughly late fall into early spring.

8. What should I look for to identify a southern flying squirrel?

Southern flying squirrels are small, about 5 to 6 inches in body length, with a loose flap of skin called a patagium that stretches between the front and back legs and lets them glide from tree to tree. They do not actually fly, they steer long downward glides. They have very large, dark eyes adapted for night vision and a flattened, feather-like tail. Their fur is soft and grayish-brown above with a clean white or cream underside.

Because they are strictly nocturnal, you will rarely see one by day. The best approach is to visit mature forests with dead snags or cavity trees and watch near a feeding station with sunflower seeds after dark, using a dim flashlight or a red light. Listen for soft, high chirps and faint thumps as they land. Gnawed nut shells with a smooth opening and droppings under a favorite oak can also reveal their presence. If a small squirrel appears at your feeder only at night and seems to drift between trees, you are almost certainly watching a southern flying squirrel.

9. What are the signs and sounds squirrels leave behind?

You can often identify squirrels without a clear look by reading the signs they leave. Gnawed acorns and hickory nuts with ragged openings, shallow digging where nuts were buried or recovered, and bark stripped from twigs all point to active squirrels. Red squirrels leave the most obvious sign, large piles of stripped cone scales, called middens, heaped under a regular feeding perch in conifers. Leaf nests, or dreys, are bulky balls of leaves wedged in tree forks and are usually built by gray squirrels.

Sounds help too. Gray squirrels make a buzzy quaa-quaa scolding bark and quick tail-flicking when a hawk or person disturbs them. Red squirrels are far louder, with a long descending rattle or chatter that carries across a quiet forest. Flying squirrels give soft, high chirps at night that are easy to miss. Tracks in snow show four toes on the front foot and five on the back, with the larger hind prints landing ahead of the front prints in a bounding pattern. Reading these clues alongside size and habitat makes a confident identification much easier.

10. How do you tell a chipmunk from a squirrel?

The eastern chipmunk is the animal most often confused with a squirrel in New Jersey, and the differences are clear once you know them. A chipmunk is small, roughly 5 to 6 inches in the body, with several bold dark and light stripes running down the back and a stripe through the eye. Its tail is short, thin, and only lightly furred, not the wide plume of a tree squirrel. Chipmunks spend most of their time on or near the ground, dart into burrow holes, and carry food in cheek pouches that bulge when full.

By contrast, eastern gray and red squirrels lack body stripes, have full bushy tails, and climb trees readily. A common mix-up is calling a young gray squirrel a chipmunk because of its size, but a young gray still has a bushy tail and no back stripes. The other ground relative, the groundhog or woodchuck, is far larger and heavier, the size of a house cat, with a grizzled brown coat and a short tail, and it is unmistakable once you see it. Northern flying squirrels are essentially absent from New Jersey, so a glide at night is the southern species. Focus on stripes, tail shape, size, and whether the animal lives mainly on the ground or in the trees, and the confusion clears up fast. For more on the species, see thesquirrel animal guide.

11. Where can I find squirrel-related gear and apparel?

If you want to show your squirrel appreciation, check out the Easy Street Markets collection of wildlife shirts. The Wild Wings Wildlife T-Shirt features a realistic gray squirrel design, while the Squirrel Lover Vintage T-Shirt offers a more retro look.

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Frequently Asked Questions

**Do squirrels in New Jersey carry diseases?** Squirrels can carry ticks and fleas, but transmission of serious diseases to humans is very rare. Avoid handling them.

**What do squirrels eat in New Jersey?** They mainly eat nuts, acorns, seeds, fruits, and sometimes bird eggs. In suburbs, bird feeders are a common food source.

**Are there albino or black squirrels in New Jersey?** Yes, black morphs of the eastern gray squirrel occur locally, especially in northern parts of the state. Albino and white squirrels are very rare but reported.

**How can I keep squirrels out of my bird feeder?** Use baffles, weight-sensitive feeders, or choose safflower seed which squirrels tend to avoid. Check oursquirrel animal guidefor more advice.

See ourNew Jersey wildlife pagefor the next step.