BC Conservation Data Centre: Species Summary
Glaucomys sabrinus
Northern Flying Squirrel
| Scientific Name: | Glaucomys sabrinus (Shaw, 1801) | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Name: | Northern Flying Squirrel | ||||||||||
| Classification / Taxonomy | |||||||||||
| Scientific Name - Concept Reference: | Arbogast, B.S., K.I. Schumacher, N.J. Kerhoulas, A.L. Bidlack, J.A. Cook, and G.J. Kenagy. 2017. Genetic data reveal a cryptic species of New World flying squirrel: Glaucomys oregonensis. Journal of Mammalogy 98(4):1027?1041. | ||||||||||
| Classification Level: | Species | ||||||||||
| Species Group: | Vertebrate Animal | ||||||||||
| Species Code: | M-GLSA | ||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| Conservation Status / Legal Designation | |||||||||||
| Global Status: | G5 (Apr 2016) | ||||||||||
| Provincial Status: | S5 (Mar 2024) | ||||||||||
| BC List: | Yellow | ||||||||||
| Provincial FRPA list: | |||||||||||
| Provincial Wildlife Act: | |||||||||||
| COSEWIC Status: | |||||||||||
| SARA Schedule: | |||||||||||
| General Status Canada: | 4 - Secure (2005) | ||||||||||
| Ecology & Life History | |||||||||||
| General Description: | |||||||||||
| Global Reproduction Comments: | Breeding season: February-May; July. Gestation lasts 37-42 days. One or two litters of 2-6 young (average 4-5) are born March-early July, and late August to early September (apparently one litter in spring or summer in the southern Appalachians). Weaned at about 2 months. Sexually mature at 6-12 months. | ||||||||||
| Global Ecology Comments: |
Highly social, especially in winter when nests may be shared. Apparently lives in family groups of adults and juveniles. In western Oregon, population density was 0-0.24/ha (mean 0.12) in second growth forest and 0.52-1.28/ha (mean 0.85) in old-growth forest (Witt 1992). Density averaged 2.0-2.3/ha in Douglas-fir habitats in western Oregon (Rosenberg and Anthony 1992). In Utah, density was 0.2-1.8/ha in POPULUS-dominated forest, 1.2-5.8/ha in ABIES-dominated forest, and 0.2-2.1/ha in PICEA-dominated forest (see Witt 1992). Sciurid mycophagy may play an important role in forest ecology (Maser and Maser 1988). |
||||||||||
| Migration Characteristics: (Global / Provincial) | |||||||||||
|
Nonmigrant: Local Migrant: Distant Migrant: Within Borders Migrant: |
Y / N / N / na / |
||||||||||
| Global Migration Comments: | Weigl (1978) recorded G. sabrinus home ranges of up to 35 ha. Summer home range estimated at 2-3 ha in North Carolina, 5-7 ha in West Virginia (Austin et al., no date). Home range has been estimated at about 3-7 ha and 5-13 ha in North Carolina and Pennsylvania, respectively (see Witt 1992). In western Oregon, home range was estimated at about 3-5 ha (Witt 1992). | ||||||||||
| Habitats: (Type / Subtype / Dependence) |
Forest / Conifer Forest - Dry / Facultative - frequent use
Forest / Conifer Forest - Mesic (average) / Facultative - frequent use Forest / Conifer Forest - Moist/wet / Facultative - frequent use Forest / Mixed Forest (deciduous/coniferous mix) / Facultative - frequent use Riparian / Riparian Forest / Facultative - frequent use |
||||||||||
| Global Habitat Comments: | Prefers coniferous and mixed forest, but will utilize deciduous woods and riparian woods. Optimal conditions have been reported as cool, moist, mature forest with abundant standing and down snags. Often most abundant near surface water; that is, swamps or streams (Heaney, in Wilson and Ruff 1999). In the Oregon Cascades, Rosenberg and Anthony (1992) concluded that flying squirrels are habitat generalists and are not more abundant in old growth than in younger, second-growth stands. Occupies tree cavities, leaf nests, underground burrows; uses large number in alternate den sites in Alaska (Austin et al., no date). See Payne et al. (1989) for habitat characteristics of endangered Appalachian populations. Prefers cavities in mature trees as den sites. In winter in British Columbia, squirrels appeared to select nest trees more for suitable nest sites than for tree size: diameter at breast height was 16.7-79.0 cm, age was 42-174 years, and height was 11.2-32.7 m (Cotton and Parker 2000). Small outside twig nests sometimes are used for den sites. Sometimes uses bluebird boxes. | ||||||||||
| Food Habits: |
Frugivore: Adult, Immature
Granivore: Adult, Immature Invertivore: Adult, Immature |
||||||||||
| Global Food Habits Comments: | Diet consists largely of fungi and lichens plus plant and animal material (insects, nuts, buds, seeds, fruit). Apparently can subsist on lichens and fungi for extended periods, and may depend on having these food items available (A91HAN02NA). Spends considerable time foraging on the ground. | ||||||||||
| Global Phenology: |
Nocturnal: Adult, Immature
|
||||||||||
| Global Phenology Comments: | Active at night. Peak activity in the southern Appalachians occurs from sunset to 2 hours after and 1 hour before sunrise (Wells-Gosling and Heaney 1984). Active throughout the year. | ||||||||||
| Provincial Phenology: (1st half of month/ 2nd half of month) |
|||||||||||
| Colonial Breeder: | N | ||||||||||
| Length(cm)/width(cm)/Weight(g): | 37/ / 125 | ||||||||||
| Elevation (m) (min / max): |
Global:
Provincial: |
||||||||||
| Distribution | |||||||||||
| Endemic: | N | ||||||||||
| Global Range Comment: | Occurs from Alaska through most of Canada, southward to the mountains of southern California, southern Rocky Mountains, western South Dakota, Great Lakes Region, and southern Appalachians. | ||||||||||
| Authors / Contributors | |||||||||||
| Global Information Author: | Hammerson, G. | ||||||||||
| Last Updated: | Mar 22, 2005 | ||||||||||
| Provincial Information Author: | |||||||||||
| Last Updated: | |||||||||||
| References and Related Literature | |||||||||||
Austin, K., et al. No date. Northern flying squirrel draft recovery plan. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Region 5. 52 pp. |
|||||||||||
Baker, R. H. 1983. Michigan mammals. Michigan State University Press. 642 pp. |
|||||||||||
Banfield, A. W. F. 1974. The mammals of Canada. University of Toronto Press, Toronto, Canada. 438 pp. |
|||||||||||
Hall, E. R. 1981a. The Mammals of North America, second edition. Vols. I & II. John Wiley & Sons, New York, New York. 1181 pp. |
|||||||||||
Hamilton, W. J., Jr., and J. O. Whitaker, Jr. 1979. Mammals of the eastern United States. Cornell Univ. Press, Ithaca, New York. 346 pp. |
|||||||||||
Howell, A. H. 1918. Revision of the American flying squirrels. North American Fauna 44:1-64. |
|||||||||||
Jones, J. K., Jr., R. S. Hoffman, D. W. Rice, C. Jones, R. J. Baker, and M. D. Engstrom. 1992a. Revised checklist of North American mammals north of Mexico, 1991. Occasional Papers, The Museum, Texas Tech University, 146:1-23. |
|||||||||||
Maser, C., and Z. Maser. 1988. Interactions among squirrels, mycorrhizal fungi, and coniferous forests in Oregon. Great Basin Nat. 48:358-369. |
|||||||||||
Matthews, J.R. and C.J. Moseley (eds.). 1990. The Official World Wildlife Fund Guide to Endangered Species of North America. Volume 1. Plants, Mammals. xxiii + pp 1-560 + 33 pp. appendix + 6 pp. glossary + 16 pp. index. Volume 2. Birds, Reptiles, Amphibians, Fishes, Mussels, Crustaceans, Snails, Insects, and Arachnids. xiii + pp. 561-1180. Beacham Publications, Inc., Washington, D.C. |
|||||||||||
Nagorsen, D. W. 2005b. The rodents and lagomorphs of British Columbia. Royal B.C. Mus. Handb., Victoria, BC. 410pp. |
|||||||||||
Payne, J. L., D. R. Young, and J. F. Pagels. 1989. Plant community characteristics associated with the endangered northern flying squirrel, Glaucomys sabrinus, in the southern Appalachians. American Midland Naturalist 121:285-292. |
|||||||||||
Rosenberg, D. K., and R. G. Anthony. 1992. Characteristics of northern flying squirrel populations in young second- and old-growth forests in western Oregon. Can. J. Zool. 70:161-166. |
|||||||||||
Thorington, R. W., Jr., A. L. Musante, C. G. Anderson, and K. Darrow. 1996. Validity of three genera of flying squirrels: EOGLAUCOMYS, GLAUCOMYS, and HYLOPETES. Journal of Mammalogy 77:69-83. |
|||||||||||
Weigl, P. D. and D. W. Osgood. 1974. Study of the northern flying squirrel, Glaucomys sabrinus, by temperature telemetry. Am. Midl. Nat. 92:482-86. |
|||||||||||
Wells-Gosling, N. and L. R. Heaney. 1984. Glaucomys sabrinus. Mammalian Species 229:1-8. |
|||||||||||
Wilson, D. E., and D. M. Reeder (editors). 1993. Mammal species of the world: a taxonomic and geographic reference. Second edition. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC. xviii + 1206 pp. Available online at: http://www.nmnh.si.edu/msw/. |
|||||||||||
Wilson, D. E., and S. Ruff. 1999. The Smithsonian book of North American mammals. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. 750 pp. |
|||||||||||
Witt, J. W. 1992. Home range and density estimates for the northern flying squirrel, GLAUCOMYS SABRINUS, in western Oregon. J. Mamm. 73:921-929. |
|||||||||||
Please visit the website Conservation Status Ranks for definitions of the data fields used in this summary report.
Suggested Citation:
B.C. Conservation Data Centre. 2005. Species Summary: Glaucomys sabrinus. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed Jun 7, 2026).