red squirrel

American  

noun

1. a reddish squirrel, Tamiasciurus hudsonicus, of North America.

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red squirrel British  

noun

1. a reddish-brown squirrel, Sciurus vulgaris , inhabiting woodlands of Europe and parts of Asia

2. either of two reddish-brown squirrels, Tamiasciurus hudsonicus or T. douglasii , inhabiting forests of North America

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Etymology

Origin of red squirrel

An Americanism dating back to 1630–40

Example Sentences

Ospreys diving for fish, mountain hares in the snow, puffins with bills full of sand eels, red squirrels, beavers and even a lynx.

From BBC

The estate is home to rare wildlife, including curlew, mountain bumblebees, lapwings, red squirrels, cuckoo and merlin, as well as Atlantic salmon and critically endangered eels, but the conservationists say nature could be richer still.

From BBC

"At the very least, I'd like to see some of it set aside for the red squirrels," he says.

From BBC

The country's flora and fauna will feature on them all, with animals including the red squirrel, puffin and dormouse depicted.

From BBC

Since 2016, Millar has also been proud to be the Senedd's "species champion" for red squirrels, regularly raising the threat the endangered rodents are facing and the need to protect them.

From BBC