Black squirrels, a melanistic variant of the eastern gray squirrel, have similar dietary needs to gray squirrels. Their diet is diverse and primarily plant-based, adapting to available food sources throughout the year.
Primary Natural Foods
Black squirrels primarily eat foods found naturally in their woodland habitats, which provide essential fats and proteins. They frequently consume acorns, hickory nuts, walnuts, beechnuts, and pecans, using strong jaws to crack shells. Seeds from pine cones and maple trees are also significant, especially when nuts are less abundant.
They also eat various plant matter. During spring and early summer, when other foods are scarce, they turn to tree buds, new shoots, and flowers. Maple, elm, and oak buds are favored, along with tender grasses. Fungi, including mushrooms and truffles, provide important minerals and vitamins.
They also eat wild fruits and berries. Apples, cherries, and other wild berries are consumed seasonally. This varied plant-based diet provides necessary nutrients.
Opportunistic and Supplemental Diet
While primarily herbivorous, black squirrels are opportunistic omnivores. They occasionally consume insects like beetle larvae, caterpillars, grasshoppers, and other grubs, which provide valuable protein, especially important during breeding seasons.
Black squirrels also raid bird nests for eggs and even consume nestlings or small birds. Though less common, this behavior shows their adaptability in seeking protein. In urban and suburban areas, they also consume human-provided foods, though this is not ideal. They scavenge discarded scraps and access bird feeders, eating items like sunflower seeds, millet, and cracked corn.
Foraging Habits and Seasonal Changes
Black squirrels forage strategically to ensure a consistent food supply. They cache food, primarily nuts and seeds, in autumn for winter consumption. Like other eastern gray squirrels, they engage in “scatter hoarding,” burying individual food items in numerous shallow pits rather than a single larder. They often create false caches to deceive potential thieves.
They relocate buried food using spatial memory and an acute sense of smell, remembering general locations and pinpointing exact spots. Their diet shifts seasonally: nuts are abundant in fall, buds and shoots in spring, and fruits, berries, and insects in summer. During winter, they rely heavily on stored caches, remaining active without hibernating. Black squirrels also require water from dew, rainwater, and streams.
Foods to Avoid
Certain human foods are detrimental to black squirrels and should be avoided. Processed foods like bread, crackers, and sugary snacks offer little nutritional value, leading to weight gain or digestive blockages due to lack of fiber and nutrients.
Salty foods like chips, pretzels, or salted nuts are harmful, as high salt intake can lead to dehydration, kidney issues, and hypertension. Chocolate contains theobromine, a stimulant squirrels cannot metabolize effectively, making it toxic even in small amounts. Dairy products are problematic because squirrels have difficulty digesting lactose, which can cause stomach upset.
Foods with high sugar content, including candy and many cereals, can contribute to dental problems and nutritional deficiencies. Other items like onions, garlic, and avocados (especially the skin and pit) contain toxic compounds. Avoid feeding wild animals human food to protect their health and natural foraging behaviors.