A medium-sized chipmunk with dark stripes on dark face. Endemic to Pacific Northwest coniferous forests.
§ Quick facts
§ Encyclopedia
Townsend's chipmunk is a species of rodent in the squirrel family, Sciuridae. It lives in the forests of the Pacific Northwest of North America, from extreme southwestern British Columbia through western Washington and western Oregon. Townsend's chipmunk is named after John Kirk Townsend, an early 19th-century ornithologist.
Source: Wikipedia — Townsend's chipmunk Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
§ Identification
Field marks. Medium chipmunk with reddish-brown stripes; smaller than eastern chipmunks.
Similar species. Other western chipmunks.
Voice. Sharp chips.
§ Diet & behavior
Diet. Seeds, conifer cones, fruits.
Behavior. Pacific Northwest chipmunk of coniferous forests.
§ Range
Pacific Northwest
§ Habitat
Coniferous forests
§ Threats
Forest loss, climate change.
§ Conservation status
According to the IUCN Red List, the townsend's chipmunk is currently classified as Least Concern.
§ What helps
Support Pacific Northwest coniferous forest conservation.
§ Further reading
- Wikipedia — Townsend's chipmunk
- www.nwf.org — authoritative profile of Neotamias townsendii
- IUCN Red List · taxon 42579
- iNaturalist · taxon 46031
- GBIF occurrence records
- Encyclopedia of Life — Neotamias townsendii
§ Sources cited
- American Society of Mammalogists
- IUCN Red List 2016
