Then it barks and stomps its hind feet, often leaping from perch to perch. If you see a pile of pine cones, you can guess that a red squirrel has been at work. Its favorite food is conifer seeds. The red squirrel stockpiles cones, as well as nuts and other seeds. After eating, it leaves a pile of shells and cones.
Red squirrels are most common in the northern pine forests, but live as far south as northern Iowa.
It weighs up to 3 pounds - much more than the gray squirrel. Fox squirrels are rare in the northern third of Minnesota. They prefer oak wood lots and field edges, but they live in the city too. They feed mostly on nuts, but also eat insects, buds, and fruit. In farm country, they eat mostly field corn.