Eurasian Red Squirrel

Eurasian Red Squirrel

Sciurus vulgaris

Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
at Vienna

In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%

1,206 Verified sightings at Vienna
531 In all 17 parks From 2019 to 2026
September Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Eurasian Red Squirrel

The red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris), also called Eurasian red squirrel, is a species of tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus. It is an arboreal and primarily herbivorous rodent and common throughout Eurasia. There have been over 40 described subspecies of the red squirrel, but the taxonomic status of some of these is uncertain. A study published in 1971 recognises 16 subspecies and has served as a basis for subsequent taxonomic work. Although the validity of some subspecies is labelled with uncertainty because of the large variation in red squirrels even within a single region, others are relatively distinctive. At present, there are 23 recognized subspecies of the red squirrel.

The Japanese squirrel, Sciurus lis, was also historically classified as a subspecies of S. vulgaris, although scientific opinion shifted towards classifying it as a distinct species beginning in the... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call1:00

Sweden · 2022

© Lars Edenius · XC971045 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Agonistic call1:13

Spain · 2025

© Esperanza Poveda · XC1064875 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Alarm call0:31

Sweden · 2025

© Ulf Elman · XC1015100 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Cairngorms National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~50%
2 Białowieża National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
~50%
3 Tatra National Park 🇸🇰 Slovakia
~30%
4 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~30%
5 Aigüestortes National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~30%
6 Plitvice Lakes National Park 🇭🇷 Croatia
~20%
7 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
~20%
8 Triglav National Park 🇸🇮 Slovenia
~20%
9 Picos de Europa National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~20%
10 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
~20%
11 Hohe Tauern National Park 🇦🇹 Austria
~20%
12 Sierra Nevada National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~20%
13 Mercantour National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
14 Sierra de Guadarrama National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
15 Ecrins National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
16 Fertő-Hanság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~10%
17 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Dushanbe 🇹🇯 Tajikistan
~80%
2 Bishkek 🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan
~70%
3 Kharkiv 🇺🇦 Ukraine
~70%
4 Harbin 🇨🇳 China
~70%
5 Kyiv 🇺🇦 Ukraine
~60%
6 Sapporo 🇯🇵 Japan
~60%
7 Sofia 🇧🇬 Bulgaria
~60%
8 Berlin 🇩🇪 Germany
~60%
9 Warsaw 🇵🇱 Poland
~60%
10 Vienna 🇦🇹 Austria
~50%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Moscow Zoo 🇷🇺 Russia In captivity
2 Basel Zoo 🇨🇭 Switzerland In captivity
3 Izhevsk Zoo 🇷🇺 Russia In captivity
4 Poznań Nowe Zoo 🇵🇱 Poland In captivity
5 Givskud Zoo 🇩🇰 Denmark In captivity
6 Shenzhen Safari Park 🇨🇳 China In captivity
7 WildtierPark Edersee 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity
8 Mogilyov Zoo 🇧🇾 Belarus In captivity
9 Yaroslavl Zoo 🇷🇺 Russia In captivity
10 Карельский зоопарк 🇷🇺 Russia In captivity
11 Körösvölgyi Állatpark 🇭🇺 Hungary In captivity
12 Wildpark im Grafenberger Wald 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity
13 Natur- und Tierpark Goldau 🇨🇭 Switzerland In captivity
14 Zoo Aquarium de Madrid 🇪🇸 Spain In captivity
15 Budapest Zoo & Botanical Garden 🇭🇺 Hungary In captivity
16 Royev Ruchey Zoo 🇷🇺 Russia In captivity
17 Welsh Mountain Zoo 🇬🇧 United Kingdom In captivity
18 Peak Wildlife Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom In captivity
19 Заасад 🇧🇾 Belarus In captivity
20 British Wildlife Centre 🇬🇧 United Kingdom In captivity
21 Zoopark Limpopo 🇷🇺 Russia In captivity
22 Santillana Zoo 🇪🇸 Spain In captivity
23 Cherkasy Zoo 🇺🇦 Ukraine In captivity
24 Hadsund Dyrehave 🇩🇰 Denmark In captivity
25 Parc Animalier d'Introd 🇮🇹 Italy In captivity
26 Kobelt-Zoo 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity
27 Edogawa Ward Natural Zoo 🇯🇵 Japan In captivity
28 Птичий дворик 🇷🇺 Russia In captivity
29 Karelian Zoo 🇷🇺 Russia In captivity
30 Wildwood Devon 🇬🇧 United Kingdom In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Eurasian Red Squirrel in Vienna?

Likely

About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Eurasian Red Squirrel sighting in Vienna on a given day, based on 1,206 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the most-seen of the 16 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Eurasian Red Squirrel in Vienna?

September

In that month about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Eurasian Red Squirrel in Vienna on a given day, against about 40% in January, the lowest month.

What time of day is best to see a Eurasian Red Squirrel?

Between 4 and 7 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Eurasian Red 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 Vienna the best place to see a Eurasian Red Squirrel?

10th of 47

Of the 47 cities where we can rate Eurasian Red Squirrel sightings, Vienna ranks 10th at about 50%. The best odds are in Dushanbe (Tajikistan, about 80%), Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan, about 70%) and Kharkiv (Ukraine, about 70%).

Which relatives of the Eurasian Red Squirrel live in Vienna?

Same order: Rodentia

The closest relatives of the Eurasian Red Squirrel that you can see in Vienna (order Rodentia, Rodents) are Eurasian Beaver (about 30%) and Brown Rat (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Eurasian Red Squirrel sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Eurasian Red Squirrel is recorded against all the mammals logged in Vienna (1,206 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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