Pallas's Squirrel

Pallas's Squirrel

Callosciurus erythraeus

Silhouette: Kai Caspar · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Beijing

In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%

181 Verified sightings at Beijing
123 In all 4 parks From 2019 to 2026
January Best month
🌅 Crepuscular When it's spotted

About the Pallas's Squirrel

Pallas's squirrel (Callosciurus erythraeus), also known as the red-bellied tree squirrel, is a species of squirrel native to China, Taiwan, India, Bhutan, and Southeast Asia. Pallas's squirrel is a medium-sized tree squirrel, with a head-body length of 16 to 28 cm (6.3 to 11.0 in), and a tail 11 to 26 cm (4.3 to 10.2 in) in length. Both sexes are of similar size and appearance, and weigh between 310 and 460 g (11 and 16 oz). The colour of the pelt varies considerably between the many different subspecies, but is generally brownish on the upper body with a more reddish tint on the belly, and often with some black on the tail. The precise pattern and shades of the fur are often used to distinguish subspecies from one another, but make it difficult to distinguish the species as a whole from other, similarly variable, tree squirrel species.

Over 30 subspecies have been identified, although not all are recognised by all authorities: Pallas's squirrel is found throughout much of southeastern Asia, including far eastern India, Bhutan, northern and eastern Myanmar, Vietnam, parts of Cambodia and Laos, much of Thailand, northern... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call1:20

China · 2025

© Dave Guo · XC1003299 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Alarm call0:42

France · 2022

© PAULUS · XC964585 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:09

Malaysia · 2019

© Marc Anderson · XC986378 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Cat Tien National Park 🇻🇳 Vietnam
~60%
2 Doi Inthanon National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~20%
3 Taroko National Park 🇹🇼 Taiwan
~10%
4 Kaeng Krachan National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Hanoi 🇻🇳 Vietnam
~70%
2 Taichung 🇹🇼 Taiwan
~60%
3 Tainan 🇹🇼 Taiwan
~60%
4 Ho Chi Minh City 🇻🇳 Vietnam
~60%
5 Kunming 🇨🇳 China
~60%
6 Kaohsiung 🇹🇼 Taiwan
~50%
7 Phnom Penh 🇰🇭 Cambodia
~50%
8 Taipei 🇹🇼 Taiwan
~50%
9 Hangzhou 🇨🇳 China
~40%
10 Xiuying District 🇨🇳 China
~40%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Beijing Wildlife Park 🇨🇳 China In captivity
2 Parken Zoo 🇸🇪 Sweden In captivity
3 Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens 🇨🇳 China In captivity
4 Machida Squirrel Garden 🇯🇵 Japan In captivity
5 Edward Youde Aviary 🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR China In captivity
6 Kinkazan Squirrel Village 🇯🇵 Japan In captivity
7 Ocean Park Hong Kong 🇨🇳 China In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Pallas's Squirrel in Beijing?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Pallas's Squirrel sighting in Beijing on a given day, based on 181 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 3rd most-seen of the 8 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Pallas's Squirrel in Beijing?

December to February

In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Pallas's Squirrel in Beijing on a given day, against about 10% in June and August, the lowest months. Those are among Beijing's driest months, with almost no rain against 150 mm in July.

What time of day is best to see a Pallas's Squirrel?

Between 9 am and noon

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Pallas's Squirrel sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.

Is Beijing the best place to see a Pallas's Squirrel?

21st of 29

Of the 29 cities where we can rate Pallas's Squirrel sightings, Beijing ranks 21st at about 20%. The best odds are in Hanoi (Vietnam, about 70%), Taichung (Taiwan, about 60%) and Tainan (Taiwan, about 60%).

Which relatives of the Pallas's Squirrel live in Beijing?

Same family: Sciuridae

The closest relatives of the Pallas's Squirrel that you can see in Beijing (family Sciuridae, Squirrels) are Eurasian Red Squirrel (about 30%) and Burunduk (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Pallas's Squirrel sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Pallas's Squirrel is recorded against all the mammals logged in Beijing (181 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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