Spring and summer time budgets and feeding behaviourof the red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus)

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to attempt to understand how feeding requirements, reproductive constraints, and fluctuating environmental conditions (specifically, ambient temperature and food availability) are integrated in the time budget of the red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus), an arboreal sciurid of the North American coniferous forest that remains active year-round. It appears that ambient temperature and food availability have important influences on the allocation of time among different activities. Reproductive constraints apparently do not affect differently the time budgets of males and females during the spring breeding season. The analysis of food habits of the red squirrel demonstrates that the species is opportunistic and takes advantage of the continuously changing food availability during the growing season. Fluctuations in diet influence whether feeding and foraging are arboreal or terrestrial, as well as affecting the relative importance of these two activities in the time budget of the red squirrel.