Chipmunks are small, striped members of the squirrel family, recognized by their energetic foraging habits and distinctive facial markings. These rodents are highly adaptable generalist foragers, meaning their diet is not specialized and varies significantly depending on the season and available food resources. As omnivores, they consume a wide range of both plant and animal matter. This diverse diet allows them to thrive in habitats ranging from forests to suburban parks.
Chipmunks as Opportunistic Insectivores
The direct answer to whether chipmunks eat bugs is yes; they actively incorporate insects and other small invertebrates into their diet. This behavior classifies them as opportunistic insectivores, especially when protein is needed. Animal matter consumption is important during the breeding season, which occurs in early spring and often again in summer. High-protein food supports the demands of gestation, nursing for females, and growth for the young.
Chipmunks prey on a variety of arthropods and invertebrates found on the ground and in leaf litter. Specific targets include soft-bodied organisms like earthworms, slugs, and snails. They also hunt insects such as caterpillars, grasshoppers, moths, ants, and beetle larvae.
The Broader Omnivorous Diet
While insects provide an important protein boost, the majority of a chipmunk’s caloric intake comes from plant matter. Their primary food sources are energy-rich items like seeds, nuts, and fruits. They are particularly fond of acorns, sunflower seeds, and other tree nuts, which are packed with fat and carbohydrates.
The plant-based portion of their diet also includes berries, grains, buds, and new plant shoots. They are known to eat fungi and play a role in dispersing their spores. Beyond plant and invertebrate food, chipmunks consume small vertebrate matter less frequently. This includes preying on bird eggs, nestlings, and occasionally small frogs or snakes.
Foraging and Caching Behavior
A defining characteristic of chipmunks is their efficient method for gathering and managing their food supply. This process centers on their expandable cheek pouches, which act as temporary storage and transportation containers. These pouches allow a chipmunk to collect a large volume of food, such as up to 72 sunflower seeds, and carry it back to their burrow quickly. This adaptation reduces their exposure to predators while foraging.
Once underground, the chipmunk employs two main strategies for food storage, known as caching. Larder hoarding involves creating large stockpiles of nonperishable food in a specific chamber within their burrow system for winter use. Alternatively, they engage in scatter hoarding, burying individual items in multiple shallow caches around their territory. This behavior intensifies in the autumn to prepare for winter dormancy. Chipmunks rely on these stored food reserves, waking periodically to feed during the colder months.