Black Squirrels 2011

The most common squirrels I get in the backyard are Fox Squirrels and Eastern Grey Squirrels.  Occasionally a black squirrel has wandered into the yard.

Black Squirrels are actually a melanistic variation of Eastern Grey Squirrels.  Before human settlement of North America, the black subgroup was more common than grey, because of their advantage in darker uncut forests.  In colder northern regions of North America, they also lose less heat than greys. 

One day in the middle of November, I noticed 2 black squirrels in the yard at the same time!  That's the most black squirrels I've seen in the yard at one time.  There are places like Kent, OH, and Kalamazoo, MI, where black squirrels are abundant.  But it was a rare treat to see 2 in my northeastern Illinois yard.