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Arizona gray squirrel

Sciurus arizonensis · Squirrels · Small game

Arizona gray squirrel (Sciurus arizonensis): Gray upper body, sometimes yellow patches behind the ears. Tail black above, yellow to brown below, separated by white edging. This profile does not establish whether taking it is legal anywhere.

Check rules for a place and dateOpen the arizona gray squirrel map

Certified rules currently represented in Hunt: coverage in development. This is coverage, not a legal answer.

Arizona gray squirrel — verified North Ground species photograph
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Scientific name
Sciurus arizonensis
Family
Sciuridae
In North America
Native
Range
Central and southeastern Arizona, west-central New Mexico and northeastern Sonora, Mexico.
Biology

How to identify it

Gray upper body, sometimes yellow patches behind the ears. [1][2]

Tail black above, yellow to brown below, separated by white edging. [1][2]

White underparts, often stained with walnut juice. [1][2]

Total length about 21 in; coat darkens in winter. [1][2]

Field knowledge

Where it lives

Hardwood and mixed oak-pine forest, river valleys and canyons, cottonwood and sycamore groves; ADW gives 1,500-1,900 m elevation in Arizona. [1][2]

Field knowledge

How it behaves

Nests in leaf nests in trees or tree cavities [1][2]

Eats mast, especially walnuts and acorns, pine seeds, flowers, buds and fungi; may eat insects [1][2]

Regulatory handoff

Where it is listed for legal take

These authorities list this species for legal take in their own regulations.

Where legal take is listed

Being listed is not an open season. Seasons, zones, licences, methods and limits decide whether this animal may be taken on a given day and place — check Hunt or the authority before you go. Listings read 2026-09-30.

Geospatial intelligence

Where it is found

Central and southeastern Arizona, west-central New Mexico and northeastern Sonora, Mexico.

Biology

Sources

Every claim above is attributed to one of these published sources.

  1. NatureServe · reviewed 2026-09-30

    NatureServe

  2. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology · reviewed 2026-09-30

    University of Michigan Museum of Zoology