---
title: "Red or grey squirrel? Check the ears and tail"
description: "In Britain, a reddish coat can belong to a grey squirrel. Compare ear tufts and tail edges, and learn when a photograph leaves the species uncertain."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/animal/eurasian-red-squirrel/article
published: 2026-11-06T07:16:02.225Z
modified: 2026-11-06T07:16:02.225Z
lang: en
---

# Red or grey squirrel? Check the ears and tail

In Britain, a reddish coat can belong to a grey squirrel. Compare ear tufts and tail edges, and learn when a photograph leaves the species uncertain.

In Britain, look at the ears and tail before using coat colour to name a squirrel\. Long ear tufts favour Eurasian Red Squirrel\. A pale fringe along the tail is a clue for Eastern Gray Squirrel\. If neither feature is clear, leave the sighting uncertain\.

The Animal Checklist catalogue calls the first species [Eurasian Red Squirrel (Eurasisches Eichhörnchen)](<https://animalchecklist.com/animal/eurasian-red-squirrel>) and the second [Eastern Gray Squirrel (Grauhörnchen)](<https://animalchecklist.com/animal/eastern-gray-squirrel>)\. GBIF accepts [Sciurus vulgaris](<https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/match?name=Sciurus%20vulgaris>) and [Sciurus carolinensis](<https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/match?name=Sciurus%20carolinensis>) as separate species\. British field guides usually call the second one the grey squirrel\.

## Look for tufts above the ears

The [Forestry Commission field guide](<https://treesforlife.org.uk/docs/079_360__practicaltechniquesforsurveyingandmonitoringsquirrels_1446049986.pdf>) describes red squirrel ear tufts that grow in autumn and thin in spring\. They are most obvious in midwinter and can be hard to see in summer\. Grey squirrels lack prominent ear tufts\. A squirrel with no visible tufts could still be a red squirrel, especially if the ear tips are hidden or the animal is in summer coat\.

![Dark Eurasian Red Squirrel behind a branch, with long tufts extending from its ears\.](<https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/eurasian-red-squirrel/medium.jpg?v=260688a6>)

The Eurasian Red Squirrel has a dark coat in this photo\. The long ear tufts remain visible above its head\.

[Tobias Schönberg](<https://www.inaturalist.org/people/tobiasschnberg>), [CC0](<https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/>). [www\.inaturalist\.org](<https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/82584601>).

## Check the edge of the tail

The [Red Squirrel Survival Trust](<https://www.rsst.org.uk/red-and-grey-squirrels-the-differences/>) describes a fringe of white or silver hairs on the grey squirrel’s tail\. Check the edge along the tail, where the fringe can show against the darker fur\. A light patch somewhere on a blurred tail is harder to interpret\. Treat the fringe as a clue when you can see it clearly\.

![Eastern Gray Squirrel between two trunks, with pale hairs along the edge of its hanging tail\.](<https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/eastern-gray-squirrel/medium.jpg?v=c3cce65a>)

Look along the tail edge of this Eastern Gray Squirrel\. Pale hairs form a fringe along the sides\.

[Liz F](<https://www.inaturalist.org/people/lizardking>), [CC0](<https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/>). [www\.inaturalist\.org](<https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/275108556>).

Back colour overlaps\. A grey squirrel can have reddish\-brown fur on its sides or legs\. A red squirrel can have a grey or dark brown back\. Both species can have pale undersides, so a glimpse of the belly alone is also weak evidence\.

## What a black coat can tell you

In [a 2014 DNA study](<https://vmnh.net/content/vmnh/uploads/PDFs/research_and_collections/nancy_moncrief/mcrobie_2014_j_heredity.pdf>), Helen McRobie and colleagues examined grey squirrels from Britain and North America\. The 44 dark grey squirrels they sampled shared a change in MC1R, a gene involved in pigmentation\. A stretch of 24 DNA base pairs was missing\.

The same study found no link between variation in that gene and dark coats in the red squirrels it sampled\. That leaves the cause of those dark red squirrel coats open\. A black coat alone cannot tell you which species you saw\. A photograph also cannot show which version of the gene an individual carries\.

## When the view is too brief

Suppose a reddish squirrel runs up a trunk and you only see its back\. Keep the identification open\. If it stops and the tail edge comes into view, check for the pale fringe\. If you see long tufts above the ears instead, that gives you a reason to compare it with the red squirrel photo\. Stay where you are and use the view the animal gives you\.

Use this guide to compare these two species in Britain\. Elsewhere, other squirrels may be possible\. If the photos or the view leave you unsure, wait for a clearer sighting before ticking either species\.