Diet Its diet consists of
leaves,
seeds,
cones,
buds,
sprouts,
nuts and
berries. Local hunters claim that they occasionally eat bird
eggs and nestlings, however, there is no evidence of this behavior. They preferentially build their nest in holes made by woodpeckers, but they may also nest in
birdhouses if the size of the entrance is appropriate. The nest consists of a pile of soft materials (preferably soft
beard lichen) into which the squirrel burrows. They can live up to about five years.
Habitat The nominate subspecies,
P. v. volans is widespread across the
Northern Palearctic (specifically from
Northern Europe,
Siberia and
East Asia), while other subspecies have limited distribution, with
P. v. athene known from
Sakhalin,
P. v. buechneri known from
China and
P. v. orii known from
Hokkaido. They favor old forests with a mix of
conifers and
deciduous trees. They are mostly
nocturnal, being most active late in the evening, although females with young may also feed during the day. They do not
hibernate, but in the winter they may sometimes sleep continuously for several days. As shy and nocturnal animals, they are seldom seen. The most common sign of their presence is their droppings, which resemble orange-yellow rice grains and are often found beneath or on top of their nest. ==Predators==