Northern Idaho Ground Squirrel
One of the world’s most range-restricted mammals spends only a few months above ground in scattered meadows of west-central Idaho.
Artwork inspired by Romey Stuckart
Northern Idaho Ground Squirrels are smaller and geographically separate from the southern species. Their brief active season is synchronized with green forage and reproduction; by summer, many have retreated into hibernation. Watch open meadow patches from public roads or established routes for upright sentinels and low runs between burrows.
Colonies can be vulnerable to trampling, off-road vehicles, loose dogs, shooting, and disease. Do not walk among burrow openings or disclose a sensitive colony casually. A lack of sightings later in summer does not mean the site is empty—the animals may already be underground.
- Range
- West-central Idaho only
- Status
- Federally threatened
- Dormancy
- Most of the year underground
Quick guide
- Initial check
- A small ground squirrel with a reddish-gray back, pale eye ring, and short tail, seen upright near burrows
- Context cue
- Open meadows and forest openings in west-central Idaho, often within ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir landscapes
A low-impact field sequence for Northern Idaho Ground Squirrel
- Begin with form
- Begin with A small ground squirrel with a reddish-gray back, pale eye ring, and short tail, seen upright near burrows.
- Require another mark
- Confirm “Open meadows and forest openings in west-central Idaho, often within ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir landscapes”.
- Place the observation
- Pair “Open meadows and forest openings in west-central Idaho” with “Late April through June offers the best chance”.
- Protect subject and habitat
- Leave Northern Idaho Ground Squirrel an open retreat and never pursue it into cover, a den, a burrow, or a resting site.
Good to know
The exact locations of small colonies are conservation-sensitive. Use established wildlife-viewing information rather than crowd-sourced burrow coordinates, and report observations with photographs to Idaho Fish and Game without entering the colony.
Notice these
- A small ground squirrel with a reddish-gray back, pale eye ring, and short tail, seen upright near burrows
- Open meadows and forest openings in west-central Idaho, often within ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir landscapes
- Emerges after snowmelt, feeds and breeds through a short spring–early-summer season, then enters a long underground hibernation.