Identify Your Pest Rodents Richardson’s ground squirrel
Richardson's ground squirrel
Urocitellus richardsonii · Also called: Gopher, prairie gopher, flickertail
Richardson’s ground squirrel is the plump, tan rodent that sits upright beside its burrow in Alberta fields, parks and acreages. Most Albertans call it a gopher, and people notice it by its sharp whistle and the open burrow holes it digs in lawns and pastures.
Size About 30 cm long, including a short tail
Colour Buff to grey-brown back with a paler belly
Key feature Sits bolt upright by an open burrow and gives a sharp, high whistle
Season Seen from late February to fall; adults go underground by midsummer
Where Lawns, parks, pastures, road edges and acreages with short grass
What it looks like
Richardson’s ground squirrel is a plump, short-legged squirrel that lives on and under the ground. Its fur is buff to grey-brown with a paler belly. It has small ears, large dark eyes and a short, furry tail that it flicks up and down. When alarmed, it stands straight up like a fence post and gives a sharp whistle or chirp.
These ground squirrels live in colonies. Their burrows are open, round holes, often with a little bare soil at the entrance and worn paths between them. Unlike pocket gophers, they are easy to see above ground in daylight.
Often confused with
Northern pocket gopher
Thirteen-lined ground squirrel
Franklin's ground squirrel
Signs to look for
Open burrow holes
Upright lookouts
Sharp whistles
Clipped grass and trails
Risks and damage
Richardson’s ground squirrels are mainly a property and farm nuisance. Their open burrows can trip people and injure livestock, and they can damage mowers and farm equipment. They eat lawn grass, garden plants, crops and pasture. Like other wild rodents, they can carry fleas and other parasites, so avoid handling them and do not feed them.
In Alberta
Richardson’s ground squirrels are common across the prairie and parkland of southern and central Alberta, including the outer areas of Calgary and Edmonton. Adults come up from late February to April. They go back underground by midsummer, and young ones stay out into late summer or fall.
An adult Richardson’s ground squirrel can spend 7 to 8 months of each year in hibernation. Adult males often go underground in late June and do not come back up until late February or March.
How to keep them out
Let grass grow taller
Welcome natural predators
Protect gardens with mesh
Do not feed them
When it is time to bring in a professional
Call a professional if ground squirrels are spreading across a lawn, sports field, acreage or pasture, or if burrows are creating trip hazards for people or livestock. Timing matters, since adults are above ground for only a few months. Technica’s licensed technicians can plan control for the right time of year.
Frequently asked questions
Why do Albertans call them gophers?
It is an old, everyday Prairie nickname that stuck, even though this animal is a ground squirrel. Biologists keep the name gopher for pocket gophers, which live underground and are rarely seen.
Where do they go in summer?
Into hibernation. Adults go underground first, in early to mid summer, with males a little ahead of females. Young females follow in August, and young males stay up longest, often into September or October. So a field that was busy in spring can look empty by late summer.
Are they protected in Alberta?
No. Alberta’s Agricultural Pests Act lists them as a nuisance, not a protected species. Landowners can choose to control them on their own land, but the law does not require it. Hawks, badgers, foxes and other native wildlife rely on them for food.