You’ll spot the main difference right away: one mostly lives on the ground and digs burrows, while the other hangs out in trees and nests in branches or tree holes. If you know this, you can tell them apart at a glance—and maybe figure out what to do if they’re in your yard.
If you see a furry animal darting across the lawn or disappearing into a hole, it’s probably a ground squirrel.
If it scrambles up a tree or sits on a branch with a big bushy tail, you’re looking at a tree squirrel.
Let’s talk about how tails, legs, nests, diets, and even hibernation habits back up these differences.
You’ll also see how their behaviors and seasonal routines can affect your garden, lawn, or trees—so you know who’s making trouble and what to expect as the year rolls on.
Fundamental Differences Between Ground Squirrels and Tree Squirrels
You’ll notice clear differences in where they live, what they look like, and how scientists classify them.
These basics make it much easier to tell tree squirrels from ground squirrels.
Habitat and Nesting Habits
Ground squirrels pick open areas and dig out pretty complex underground burrows. They carve out multiple entrances, storage rooms, and shallow escape tunnels.
You’ll spot these burrows in fields, along garden edges, or even on golf courses. Sometimes, several adults share a whole tunnel network and form a colony.
Tree squirrels stay up high in the tree canopy most of the time. They build round nests—called dreys—out of twigs and leaves in the forks of branches.
Sometimes, they take over tree hollows for shelter and raising their young. You’ll see nests in parks, old yards, or anywhere with big trees.
Tree hollows give them better long-term shelter and weather protection than just a pile of sticks.
Physical Appearance and Size
Ground squirrels look stockier and often bigger than the usual tree squirrel. Their bodies are built for digging, with strong forelimbs and tough claws.
You’ll see they usually have a more uniform gray or brown coat, which helps them blend in with dirt and grass.
Tree squirrels are slimmer and designed for climbing. Their bodies feel lighter, and their back legs are longer for leaping between branches.
You’ll see more color variety in tree squirrels—gray, red, black, or sometimes a mix. Some have lighter or white bellies.
Size can change depending on the species, so it’s worth checking what’s common in your area.
Tail and Fur Characteristics
Ground squirrels have shorter, less fluffy tails. The short tail helps with balance when they stand near their burrow entrance, but it’s not much good for climbing.
Their fur feels coarser and usually matches the ground—earthy browns and grays.
Tree squirrels, on the other hand, show off long, bushy tails. That tail works almost like a rudder when they leap from branch to branch.
Their fur is often softer and thicker, which keeps them warm in winter. Flying squirrels (which are actually tree squirrels) have thick fur and a flap of skin for gliding, but their tails aren’t especially bushy—so tail shapes can change a bit depending on the species.
Species and Classification
Both ground and tree squirrels belong to the Sciuridae family. There are a lot of squirrel species around the world.
Ground squirrel species include animals like prairie dogs and marmots in some places. Tree squirrel species include eastern gray squirrels, red squirrels, and flying squirrels.
Sometimes, the lines blur. Some tree squirrels spend time on the ground, and a few ground squirrels climb trees.
To figure out which is which, watch their behavior, tail shape, and where they nest (burrow or tree). Regional guides can help, too.
If you want more detail, here’s a handy guide on tree squirrel vs ground squirrel differences.
Behavior, Diet, and Seasonal Patterns
Let’s get into how these squirrels act, what they eat, and how they handle the seasons.
You’ll notice differences in their social lives, feeding habits, winter survival tricks, and even how they can mess with your property.
Behavior and Social Structure
Tree squirrels like eastern grays and fox squirrels usually go solo. You’ll see them defend a handful of trees and a nest, but they don’t form big groups.
Males and females meet up to mate and then go their separate ways. Red squirrels are even more territorial, especially around food and nests.
Ground squirrels, like the California ground squirrel and thirteen-lined ground squirrel, live in colonies. You’ll notice networks of burrows with shared entrances and alarm calls when a predator shows up.
Marmots (which are a kind of ground squirrel) hang out in family groups and often sun themselves on rocks to keep watch. Colony life changes how diseases spread and how quickly they reclaim burrows.
Diet and Foraging Differences
Tree squirrels focus on food from trees. You’ll see eastern grays and fox squirrels munching on acorns, walnuts, buds, and sometimes even bird eggs.
They stash nuts all over the place (scatter-hoarding) and use memory or scent to find them again. Red squirrels prefer cones and will guard cone-rich spots.
Ground squirrels eat more stuff on the ground—grasses, seeds, and sometimes insects. The thirteen-lined ground squirrel likes grasses, seeds, and bugs.
California ground squirrels go for roots, bulbs, and sometimes eggs. Marmots are mostly herbivores and graze on grasses and flowers.
Because of these diet differences, you’ll find tree squirrels where there are trees, and ground squirrels in grasslands, fields, or golf courses.
Hibernation and Seasonal Adaptations
Tree squirrels don’t really hibernate. Eastern grays and fox squirrels stay active during winter, though they spend more time in their nests and eat stored food.
On really cold days, they might lay low, but they still come out between cold snaps. Red squirrels also stay busy year-round, relying on their food stashes.
A lot of ground squirrels hibernate. The thirteen-lined ground squirrel enters a deep sleep for months, slowing its heart rate and body temperature way down.
Marmots hibernate deeply and wake up in spring to breed. In milder climates, California ground squirrels might just slow down instead of fully hibernating.
If you know whether your local ground squirrels hibernate, you can guess when you’ll see new activity in spring.
Damage and Impact on Property
Tree squirrels usually cause trouble in and around buildings. If eastern gray squirrels move into your attic, you’ll probably spot gnawed vents, chewed wiring, and holes in the roof soffits.
They also love stripping bark off young trees. And honestly, they’re notorious for raiding bird feeders, leaving a mess of spilled seed behind.
Ground squirrels dig burrows that mess up turf and even weaken foundations. California ground squirrels and marmots leave behind holes and dirt mounds in lawns, golf courses, and pastures.
Their burrowing habits can break irrigation lines or even create spots where someone might trip. Both types carry fleas and ticks, and when they gather in colonies, the risk of ticks goes up.
If you’re trying to figure out who’s causing the damage, look for clues. Chewed spots and attic noises usually mean tree squirrels. But if you see groups of burrows and little trails, that’s your sign of ground squirrels.
Relevant further reading: see differences between tree squirrels and ground squirrels for habitat and nesting details.
