Irish name: Iora Rua
Scientific name: Sciurus vulgaris
The red squirrel has been found in Ireland since before the last ice age, but became extinct a number of times. The removal of native woodlands helped to cause its decline. It was reintroduced in the 19th century but has again become rare and is currently absent from areas along the west and north coasts. This current decline has coincided with the spread of the grey squirrel, introduced into Ireland by man in 1911.
The red squirrel is smaller than the grey squirrel. In winter its coat is thick and red, and it has a bushy tail and long ear tufts. The underside is cream or white. In summer, the coat becomes lighter in colour and the ear tufts are small and pale.
The red squirrel is found in broadleaf, mixed, and coniferous woods. It favours coniferous woodland, where it eats cone seeds, pollen, buds and shoots. It also eats berries, beech mast, fungi, fruit and nuts. It builds a rounded nest called a 'drey', using twigs, bark, leaves and grass. The red squirrel spends most of its time high up in the trees, while the grey spend more time on the ground. Squirrels are generally most active at dawn and dusk. Contrary to popular belief, squirrels do not hibernate; instead they store food to see them through winter.
Breeding females usually produces one litter each year, occasionally two. The young are usually born between May and August. Litter size is between three and six young, which are blind and furless at birth and are weaned at nine weeks. Young squirrels may stay with their mother until she has her next litter. Mortality is quite high, with only one in five surviving to their first winter.
Red Squirrel Sciurus vulgaris (Photo: Mike Brown)
A pilot translocation of red squirrels to two woodlands in the west is underway. A report of the intial stage of this project can be downloaded here: The Translocation of Red Squirrel to Belleek Forest Park, Mayo. This project will run until the end of 2010 and will help determine whether translocation of red squirrels is a valid conservation tool. No further translocations will be licensed until a full assessment is made of the effectiveness of these two translocations.