Eastern Gray Squirrel

Eastern Gray Squirrel

Sciurus carolinensis

Silhouette: Anthony Caravaggi · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~70% · Very likely
at Manchester

In 3 days >90%

534 Verified sightings at Manchester
1,761 In all 10 parks From 2019 to 2026
October Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Eastern Gray Squirrel

The eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis), spelled as grey squirrel outside of the United States, is a species of tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus. It is native to eastern North America, where it is the most prodigious and ecologically essential natural forest regenerator. Widely introduced to certain places around the world, the eastern gray squirrel in Europe, in particular, is regarded as an invasive species.

In Europe, Sciurus carolinensis is included (since 2016) in the list of Invasive Alien Species of Union concern (the Union list). This implies that this species cannot be imported, bred, transported, commercialized, or intentionally released into the environment in the whole of the European Union.

Sciurus carolinensis is native to the eastern and midwestern United States, and to the southerly portions of the central provinces of Canada. In the mid-1800s the population in the midwestern United States was described as being "truly astonishing," but human predation and habitat destruction through deforestation resulted in drastic population reductions, to the point that the animal was almost absent from Illinois by 1900.

The native range of the eastern... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Alarm call0:22

United Kingdom · 2026

© Paul Gosling · XC1181524 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:14

United Kingdom · 2020

© Simon Elliott · XC961023 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Recording0:11

United Kingdom · 2026

© Erzhan Nūrgaliyev · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Congaree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~60%
2 Great Smoky Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~40%
3 Snowdonia National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~30%
4 Table Mountain National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~30%
5 Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge 🇺🇸 United States
~30%
6 Shenandoah National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~30%
7 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~30%
8 Everglades National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
9 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
10 Big Cypress National Preserve 🇺🇸 United States
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Turin 🇮🇹 Italy
~90%
2 Boston 🇺🇸 United States
~80%
3 London 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~80%
4 Liverpool 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~70%
5 Manchester 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~70%
6 Montreal 🇨🇦 Canada
~70%
7 Birmingham 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~60%
8 Milan 🇮🇹 Italy
~60%
9 Detroit 🇺🇸 United States
~60%
10 New York City 🇺🇸 United States
~60%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Busch Gardens Tampa 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
2 World Bird Sanctuary 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
3 Parque Municipal Summit 🇵🇦 Panama In captivity
4 Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
5 Edinburgh Zoo 🇬🇧 United Kingdom In captivity
6 London Zoo 🇬🇧 United Kingdom In captivity
7 Lincoln Park Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
8 Palm Beach Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
9 World of Birds Wildlife Sanctuary and Monkey Park 🇿🇦 South Africa In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing an Eastern Gray Squirrel in Manchester?

Very likely

About 70% of wildlife watchers report an Eastern Gray Squirrel sighting in Manchester on a given day, based on 534 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the most-seen of the 11 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see an Eastern Gray Squirrel in Manchester?

September to November

In those months about 80% of wildlife watchers report an Eastern Gray Squirrel in Manchester on a given day, against about 50% in July, the lowest month.

What time of day is best to see an Eastern Gray Squirrel?

Between 2 and 5 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Eastern Gray Squirrel sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Manchester the best place to see an Eastern Gray Squirrel?

5th of 30

Of the 30 cities where we can rate Eastern Gray Squirrel sightings, Manchester ranks 5th at about 70%. The best odds are in Turin (Italy, about 90%), Boston (United States, about 80%) and London (United Kingdom, about 80%).

Which relatives of the Eastern Gray Squirrel live in Manchester?

Same order: Rodentia

The closest relatives of the Eastern Gray Squirrel that you can see in Manchester (order Rodentia, Rodents) are Brown Rat (about 30%), European Wood Mouse (about 10%) and Field Vole (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Eastern Gray Squirrel sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Eastern Gray Squirrel is recorded against all the mammals logged in Manchester (534 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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