Tamiasciurus douglasii
Silhouette: PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
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 →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Olympic National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Yosemite National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Redwood National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States |
Likely
About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Douglas' Squirrel sighting in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks on a given day, based on 290 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 5th most-seen of the 20 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.
September to November
In those months about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Douglas' Squirrel in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks on a given day, against about 40% in March, the lowest month. Those are among Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks's driest months, with about 35 mm of rain a month against 190 mm in January.
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.
Yes
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Douglas' Squirrel sightings, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks has the highest daily chance: about 60%. Next come Olympic National Park (United States, about 40%) and Yosemite National Park (United States, about 40%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Sciuridae
The closest relatives of the Douglas' Squirrel that you can see in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (family Sciuridae, Squirrels) are Yellow-bellied Marmot (about 80%), Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel (about 70%) and California Ground Squirrel (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Douglas' Squirrel is recorded against all the mammals logged in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (290 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
