Red squirrels are small mammals, typical of temperate forests. In summer, their coat is reddish with a darker area on the back and white on the belly; in winter their colour turns grey-brown. The dark tufts on their ears are well visible in winter, but go lost in spring. Red squirrels are very good at climbing. They mainly feed on vegetables: walnuts, hazelnuts, buds, shoots, fruit, roots, stems, barks, resins, leaves, conifer seeds, acorns, chestnuts and berries. Sometimes, they also eat nestling birds, eggs and larvae of insects.