Douglas' Squirrel

Douglas' Squirrel

Tamiasciurus douglasii

Silhouette: PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Seattle

In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%

229 Verified sightings at Seattle
1,159 In all 5 parks From 2019 to 2026
February Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Douglas' Squirrel

The Douglas squirrel (Tamiasciurus douglasii) is a pine squirrel found in western North America, from the Pacific Northwest (including the northwestern coastal states of the United States as well as the southwestern coast of British Columbia in Canada) to central California, with an isolated subspecies in northern Baja California, Mexico. It is sometimes known as the chickaree or pine squirrel, although these names are also used for the American red squirrel. Variant spellings of the common name are Douglas' squirrel and Douglas's squirrel. The Native Americans of Kings River called it the "Pillillooeet", in imitation of its characteristic alarm call.

John Muir described the Douglas squirrel as "by far the most interesting and influential of the California Sciuridæ". At full maturity, it is about 33 cm (13 in) in length (including its tail, which is about 13 cm (5 in) long), and weighs between 150 and 300 g (5.3 and 10.6 oz). Its appearance varies according to the season. In the summer, it is greyish or almost greenish-brown on its back, and pale orange on the chest and belly, while legs and feet appear brown. In the winter, the coat is browner and the underside... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call1:04

United States · 2026

© Greg Irving · XC1104233 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Alarm call0:28

United States · 2019

© Daan Drukker · XC959772 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Call0:06

United States · 2026

© Ed Pandolfino · XC1147907 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks 🇺🇸 United States
~60%
2 Olympic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~40%
3 Yosemite National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~40%
4 Redwood National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~30%
5 Great Bear Rainforest 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Vancouver 🇨🇦 Canada
~30%
2 Portland 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
3 Seattle 🇺🇸 United States
~10%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium 🇺🇸 United States In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Douglas' Squirrel in Seattle?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Douglas' Squirrel sighting in Seattle on a given day, based on 229 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 10th most-seen of the 25 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Douglas' Squirrel in Seattle?

February and December

In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Douglas' Squirrel in Seattle on a given day, against about 10% in January and March–November, the lowest months.

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

Between 5 and 8 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Douglas' 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 Seattle the best place to see a Douglas' Squirrel?

3rd of 3

Of the 3 cities where we can rate Douglas' Squirrel sightings, Seattle ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Vancouver (Canada, about 30%) and Portland (United States, about 20%).

Which relatives of the Douglas' Squirrel live in Seattle?

Same family: Sciuridae

The closest relatives of the Douglas' Squirrel that you can see in Seattle (family Sciuridae, Squirrels) are Eastern Gray Squirrel (about 40%) and Townsend's Chipmunk (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Douglas' Squirrel sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Douglas' Squirrel is recorded against all the mammals logged in Seattle (229 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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