Mammals Active during the day

Smith's Bush Squirrel

Paraxerus cepapi

iNaturalist Wikipedia

The Smith’s Bush Squirrel is a charismatic and vocal acrobat of the southern African woodlands. Known for its yellowish feet and social charm, it’s a frequent and entertaining visitor to any backyard camera in the region.

0 Sightings

0 Habitats

Quick Identification

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Size

Head-body 17–20 cm (6.7–7.9 in), tail 15–20 cm (5.9–7.9 in); weight 150–250 g (5.3–8.8 oz)

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Colors

Grizzled grey-brown upperparts, pale whitish or cream underparts, with a distinct yellowish-buff wash on the limbs and feet

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Key Features

Distinctive yellow-buff feet and legs
Prominent pale ring around the eyes
Slender bushy tail often flicked or held over the back
Large, dark, alert eyes

When You’ll See Them

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Activity pattern Active during the day

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Peak hours 7-10 AM, 3-5 PM

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Season Year-round

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Diet Omnivorous; primarily feeds on seeds, nuts, fruits, and flowers, but frequently supplements its diet with insects like termites and ants.

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Habitat Savanna woodlands, particularly Mopane and Acacia thickets, as well as suburban gardens with mature trees.

Sightings on EverydayEarth

Rosie's Pan

Jul 7, 2026

A Smith's Bush Squirrel scurries across the dry, sunlit bank on the left side of the water hole. The pan remains calm, reflecting the sparse woodland and clear sky of the dry season.

Rosie's Pan

Jun 21, 2026

A Smith's Bush Squirrel is perched on a thick, weathered tree branch. It is holding a small food item in its front paws and eating it. The squirrel remains alert, occasionally twitching its tail and looking around while it continues to feed in the early morning light.

The Naledi Cat-EYE

May 24, 2026

A Blacksmith Lapwing stands alert at the edge of the watering hole. Simultaneously, a Smith's Bush Squirrel is seen foraging in the dry grass nearby, moving quickly across the ground in the bright morning light.

public Geographic range

Where Does the Smith's Bush Squirrel Live?

The Smith's Bush Squirrel is a signature resident of the southern Afrotropics. Its native range spans across Southern Africa, with high population densities found in South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. They also thrive in the woodland regions of Mozambique, Zambia, Malawi, and southern Angola, remaining largely resident throughout the year without any migratory patterns.

Basemap © OpenStreetMap contributors

8 Countries

1.5M km² Range

Least Concern Conservation

ZA South Africa BW Botswana ZW Zimbabwe NA Namibia MZ Mozambique ZM Zambia Malawi Angola

eco

iNaturalist / Verified observation data

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Behavior

Smith’s Bush Squirrels are highly social and vocal mammals, typically found in small family groups of up to 12 individuals. They are strictly diurnal, meaning they are active during the day, spending their time foraging both on the ground and in the canopy. They are famous for their complex communication system, which includes a variety of clicks, whistles, and chirps used to alert the group to predators like raptors or snakes.

These squirrels are territorial and use scent glands in their cheeks to mark their home range. At night, the family huddles together in tree hollows, which they line with grass and leaves for insulation. In suburban settings, they can become quite habituated to humans, often nesting in the eaves of roofs or visiting bird feeders to scavenge seeds.

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Camera Tips

To capture high-quality footage of Smith’s Bush Squirrels, position your camera about 1 to 1.5 meters (3-5 feet) off the ground. These squirrels are arboreal but spend significant time on the ground foraging, so a camera aimed at the base of a large Acacia or Mopane tree—especially one with visible hollows—is ideal. They often use specific 'runways' or horizontal branches to navigate between trees; finding one of these paths is the key to consistent captures.

Using a lure can significantly improve your results. A small platform or flat rock stocked with unsalted peanuts, sunflower seeds, or pieces of fruit like apple or papaya will keep them stationary long enough for the AI to trigger. Because these squirrels are extremely fast and 'twitchy' in their movements, set your camera to a high-speed burst mode or a short video clip (10-15 seconds) to catch their social interactions and tail-flicking behavior.

Timing is everything with this species. They are most active in the early morning shortly after sunrise and again in the late afternoon before dusk. During the hottest part of the day, they tend to remain still in the shade. If you are using a trail camera in a garden, placing it near a bird bath can also yield great results, as they need to drink regularly, especially during the dry winter months.

Frequently Asked Questions

Smith's Bush Squirrels are strictly diurnal, meaning they are active during daylight hours. They have two peak activity periods: early morning (just after sunrise) and late afternoon. They usually retreat to their nesting hollows before sunset.

You can attract them by providing a steady source of food like sunflower seeds, peanuts, or fresh fruit on a raised platform. They also highly value water sources, so a clean bird bath or shallow water dish near trees will likely draw them in.

Their diet is highly varied and opportunistic. While they prefer seeds, berries, and nuts, they are also known to eat green shoots, flowers, and even insects like termites and bark beetles.

Yes, they are very adaptable and are common in leafy suburban gardens throughout Southern Africa. They often live in close proximity to humans, nesting in roofs or birdhouses if natural tree hollows are unavailable.

Look for the distinctive yellowish-buff color on their feet and limbs, which gives them their alternate name, the 'Yellow-footed Squirrel.' They are also smaller and more slender than the Eastern Grey Squirrel and have a characteristic pale ring around the eye.

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