Nest Characteristics of Sympatric Populations of Fox and Gray Squirrels

Nest-Site Selection by the Mexican Red-Bellied Squirrel (Sciurus aureogaster) in MichoacáN, Mexico

“…Similar results have been observed in S. aureogaster in Florida (Brown and McGuire 1975), and in other species of tree squirrels (Best 1995;Brown 1984;Edwards and Guynn 1995;Robb et al 1996;Setoguchi 1991). It is likely that S. aureogaster in our study area is selective about structural characteristics of the habitat instead of specific tree species, similar to other species of tree squirrels (Edelman and Koprowski 2005;Edwards and Guynn 1995;Snyder and Linhart 1994).…”

“…Tree density also is an important factor for Abert's squirrels (Sciurus aberti) in the selection of nest sites (Brown 1984). The differences observed in the basal area of all tree species and the number of trees of all species between nest and unused sites was reflected in the low and high diversities (H9) obtained in both sites, respectively, which may have influenced the selection of nest sites (Edwards and Guynn 1995;Snyder and Linhart 1994). This was consistent with the 2nd principal component, which revealed that vegetation surrounding nest trees also influenced the selection of nest sites.…”

“…Nonetheless, it is known that southeastern fox squirrels (Sciurus niger) use leaf nests and cavities with no distinction among seasons, whereas eastern gray squirrels (S. carolinensis) alternate their use among seasons (Edwards and Guynn 1995). Likewise, few studies have analyzed if nest characteristics can be associated with some of the habitat characteristics where nests are built.…”

“…Unfortunately, although the nesting requirements of some species of tree squirrels are well known, especially in temperate regions (Edelman and Koprowski 2005;Edwards and Guynn 1995;Menzel et al 2004;Rothwell 1979;Setoguchi 1991;Wauters and Dhondt 1990), those in tropical regions are poorly understood.…”

Artificial Nest Cavities Designed for use by Small Mammals

“…Many studies have focused on the use of nest boxes to record and observe mammalian behavior (Brady et al 2000, Edwards and Guynn 1995, Wolff and Durr 1986. Mammals have been reported to use nest boxes more frequently than natural cavities (McComb and Noble 1981) during winter months (Nicholson 1941).…”