Squirrels live on every continent in the world, except Antarctica. They are also native to every continent, except Australia and Antarctica. From forest to grassland habitats, squirrels make their nests in the trees or burrow underground.
Squirrels are one of the most common mammals in the world. There are so many that no one knows the exact number.
But where do squirrels actually live and what do they need to thrive?
In this article, we look at what makes a habitat perfect for squirrels, where they live, and how squirrels are adapting to changing environments.
Squirrels’ Natural Habitats
Most squirrels live in forests. Tree squirrels live in conifer forests, deciduous woodlands, and tropical rainforests. Ground squirrels live in open habitats, like prairies and grasslands, but sometimes live in forests. Flying squirrels live in conifer forests and tropical forests.
Squirrels live in natural habitats that provide them with an abundance of natural food sources. But it differs depending on the species.
There are an estimated 279 species of squirrels in the world. They fall into three categories
- Tree squirrels
- Flying squirrels
- Ground squirrels
Tree squirrels and flying squirrels thrive in forests where they can build their nests in the trees and feed off tree nuts, seeds, sap, leaves, and fruit.
Ground squirrels burrow underground and feed off plants, fruit, insects, and carrion they find on the ground. Ground squirrels can climb trees and will do so when food on the ground is scarce.

Squirrel Type | Type of Habitat |
Tree squirrels | Conifer forests, deciduous woodlands, and tropical rainforests. |
Ground squirrels | Prairies, grasslands, and occasionally forests. |
Flying squirrels | Conifer forests and tropical forests. |
Where Do Tree Squirrels Live?
The best habitats for tree squirrels include conifer forests and deciduous woodlands, and tropical rainforests.
Trees are vital to these squirrels for food and shelter, as they eat the following foods from trees:
- Tree nuts and seeds
- Tree buds, flowers, and leaves
- Wild fruits
- Fungi that grow on trees
- Bird’s eggs and nestlings

Where Do Ground Squirrels Live?
Ground squirrels, like thirteen-lined ground squirrels and California ground squirrels, live in prairies, grasslands, forests, and sometimes in urban areas.
They dig burrows in habitats at sea level right up to mountaintops and are found in open habitats, like grasslands, but are occasionally found living in forests.[1]
Ground squirrels eat foods primarily found on the ground:
- Plants
- Fruit
- Insects (caterpillars, grasshoppers, crickets, beetles, and ants)
- Amphiamians
- Duck and bird eggs and nestlings
- Smaller ground squirrels and rabbits
- Carrion

Where Do Flying Squirrels Live?
Flying squirrels live in forests and woodlands where they build their nests and forage for food in the trees.
Similar to tree squirrels, flying squirrels depend[2] on trees for food:
- Tree seeds and nuts.
- Tree sap.
- Fruit.
- Tree leaves and flower buds.
- Small birds, nestlings, and eggs.
Where Do Squirrels Not Live?
Other than Antarctica, squirrels are also not found in Madagascar, Greenland, southern South America, many oceanic islands (like Hawaii), and deserts.
How Squirrels Adapt To Changing Habitats
Urbanization and loss of natural habitat have pushed some squirrels to migrate and adapt. The resilient eastern gray squirrels, fox squirrels, and thirteen-lined ground squirrels have adapted well to living alongside humans.
Tree squirrels like eastern gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) and fox squirrels (Sciurus niger) have adjusted to city living. They are found in leafy suburbs and city parks.
As long as they have at least 40 hectares of a continuous tree canopy, these tree squirrels can live there.[3]
Gray squirrels are even thriving in the parks in the busiest city in the world: New York.
Some ground squirrels have also adapted to urbanization, like the thirteen-lined ground squirrel (Spermophilus tridecemlineatus).
They were once only found in the prairie but (as the land was cleared) they extended their geographical range northward and eastward. Today they are found in urban areas with mowed lawns.
They also pop up on golf courses, in cemeteries, in parks, and on grass verges alongside roads.[4]

Where Do Squirrels Build Nests?
Tree squirrels and flying squirrels build their nests between the branches of trees or in tree cavities. Ground squirrels burrow underground and build nests in their burrows.
Tree Squirrels’ and Flying Squirrels’ Nesting Habitats
Tree squirrels and flying squirrels build nests between large tree branches. These squirrel nests are also referred to as drays.
They also build nests in the cavity of trees. These are known as dens. Since they are well insulated by the tree, this type of nest is preferred by both tree squirrels and flying squirrels during the winter.
Tree squirrels and flying squirrels build a rounded and spherical frame over it using interwoven leaves and twigs to create a dray that is cozy and waterproof.

Ground Squirrels’ Nesting Habitat
Ground squirrels dig underground burrows and build their nests in chambers within these burrows.
Where Do Squirrels Live in the World?
Squirrels live in North America, South America (except the southern part), Africa, Europe, Asia, and Australia. They live in every continent of the world, except Antarctica.
Squirrels are native to every continent in the world except Antarctica and Australia.
Although squirrels are not native to Australia, Indian palm squirrels were introduced a long time ago and continue to thrive there.
Squirrel Type | Geographic Range |
Ground Squirrels | North American, Eurasia, Africa, and Southeast Asia. |
Tree Squirrels | Canada, Alaska, North America, South America, Africa, northern parts of Europe and Asia, Taiwan, the Philippines, and Sulawesi. |
Flying Squirrels | North America, northern Eurasia, India, and Asia. |
Where Do Tree Squirrels Live In The World?
Tree squirrels are found in North America, South America, Africa, Europe, and Asia.
Tree squirrels live all over the world:
- In conifer forests in Canada and Alaska.
- In the US, they thrive in conifer forests and deciduous woodlands.
- In the tropical rainforests of South America and Africa.
- In African woodland savannas.
- In the northern forests of Europe and Asia.
- In the Indonesian tropical rainforests.
- In the forests of Taiwan.
- In some islands in the Philippines and Sulawesi.[5]
And many other places.
Tree squirrels are not native to Australia, but they were imported to the country in the late 1800s.
Indian palm squirrels, including northern or five-striped palm squirrels (Funambulus pennantii) and three-striped palm squirrels (Funambulus palmarum), were introduced to Perth in 1898.[6]
Northern palm squirrels are considered pests in Perth where they raid local citrus and stone fruit farms.
They thrive in Australia because the climate suits them and they have few natural predators.[7]

Where Ground Squirrels Live In The World
Nontropical ground squirrels live in temperate areas of North America, Eurasia, and in arid parts of Africa.
Tropical ground squirrels live in the forests of Southeast Asia.[8]
Where Flying Squirrels Live In The World
Flying squirrels are found in the eastern half of North America, northern Eurasia, India, and Asia. [9]
In North America and Eurasia, flying squirrels live in temperate conifer forests. In parts of India and Asia, they dwell in tropical forests.
Where Do Squirrels Live in North America?
Squirrels live in all of North America, but the exact region depends on the species. Eastern gray squirrels, fox squirrels, and southern flying squirrels are native to the eastern part of the United States. Northern flying squirrels live in the northern United States while thirteen-lined ground squirrels are at home in central North America.
Let’s look at where commonly known squirrels live in North America…
American red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) live in northern boreal coniferous forests in the U.S.[10] This includes
- Upper Midwest
- New England
- The Appalachians
- The Rockies.

Eastern gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) are native to the eastern United States. They have also been introduced to the western states.
Fox squirrels (Sciurus niger) are native to the eastern and central United States. They were introduced to urban areas in western North America.[11]
Southern flying squirrels (Glaucomys volans) live in the eastern half of the United States.[12]
Northern flying Squirrels (Glaucomys sabrinus) are in decline but small populations are found in
- Alaska
- Northern California
- Colorado
- Central Michigan
- Wisconsin
- Northern Carolina
- Tennessee
- Southern Appalachian Mountains
- The Black Hills
- Sierra Nevada [13]
Thirteen-lined ground squirrels (Spermophilus tridecemlineatus) are found in central North America. They can be found in
- Ohio
- Montana
- Arizona
- Central Alberta
- Saskatchewan
- Texas coast
California ground squirrels (Spermophilus beecheyi) live in
- California
- Baja California
- Western Oregon
- Western Nevada
- Southwestern Washington [14]

Where Do Squirrels Live in Europe?
Native Eurasian red squirrels live in forests and tree-lined suburbs across Europe. Their greatest threat is the growing population of gray squirrels, an alien species imported from America. European ground squirrels live in the southeast parts of Europe.
Eurasian red squirrels and European ground squirrels are native to Europe. Eastern gray squirrels were imported to Europe.
Eurasian red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) live in conifer forests of Europe and northern Asia.[15]
Non-native eastern gray squirrels are the greatest threat to native red squirrels. Imported from America in the Victorian era, eastern gray squirrels have already displaced native Eurasian red squirrels in many parts of the UK and Italy.[16]
Gray squirrels are larger than red squirrels. They are resilient, adapt easily to new environments, and breed well. They out-compete red squirrels for food and inadvertently kill them as they are unaffected carriers of squirrel pox (a virus that is fatal to red squirrels).

European ground squirrels (Spermophilus citellus) are native to southeast Europe. They are found in the following countries:
- Czech Republic
- Austria
- Hungary
- Slovakia
- Serbia
- Romania
- Eastern Serbia
- Macedonia
- Northern Greece
- Bulgaria
- Turkish Thrace
- Moldova
- Ukraine[17]
Are Squirrels’ Habitats Threatened?
Some squirrel species are losing their natural habitat to urbanization, climate change-related drought, storms, bark beetle plagues, and because of other invading squirrel species.
The loss of natural habitats to urbanization is well understood, but climate change-related events are also taking a toll on squirrels and their habitats.
The Gray Squirrel Invasion

Non-native eastern gray squirrels have been taking over the habitats of native Eurasian red squirrels in Great Britain.
Red squirrels used to be common across Great Britain until eastern gray squirrels were brought over from North America between 1876 and 1929.
When the larger gray squirrels move into a red squirrel habitat, they dominate food supplies, steal red squirrels’ winter hoard, and breed faster than the red squirrels.
They quickly outnumber them, driving red squirrels to extinction.
Gray squirrels also pass on squirrel pox, a virus gray squirrels are immune to. But, the disease kills red squirrels within 3–4 weeks of infection.
Gray squirrels are in the process of colonizing all red squirrel habitats in Great Britain. They have pushed red squirrels out of England and Wales.[19]
The Southern Flying Squirrel Invasion
A similar process is taking place in North America where climate change is pushing southern flying squirrels from the east to the north. Here, they are now living with northern flying squirrels.
These sociable nocturnal squirrel species are getting to the point of sharing nesting boxes in winter, but the situation is critical.
Southern flying squirrels carry an intestinal parasite (Strongyloides robustus) that doesn’t kill southern flying squirrels but is fatal to the endangered northern flying squirrels.[20]
The decline of northern flying squirrels has a negative impact on conifer trees and their habitat.
Northern flying squirrels eat fungi found on conifer trees and spread the spores in their scat. The fungi boost conifer trees’ absorption of nutrients. Without the squirrels helping spread the fungi, mature conifer forests could die.
Conclusion
Whether native or alien, squirrels live on every continent in the world, except Antarctica.
A loss of natural habitat due to urbanization or climate change pushes some squirrels to migrate to other natural habitats or adapt to living among people in cities and suburbs.
In some regions, imported or migrating squirrels have become pests to farmers, threaten biodiversity, or take over native squirrels’ habitats.
FAQs
Do Squirrels Live Underground?
Yes, ground squirrels, marmots, prairie dogs, and chipmunks are all part of the squirrel family that burrow and nest inside their underground burrowed chambers.
Do Squirrels Live in Trees?
Tree squirrels and flying squirrels make their nests between tree branches or in tree cavities. Nests built between branches are spherical in shape and woven with twigs, leaves, and other natural materials. They are called drays. Squirrels’ nests made in tree cavities are called dens.