What Is a Group of Chipmunks Called?
A frantic, food-hoarding name for a rodent that would really rather be alone.
A group of chipmunks is called a scurry — the same energetic term used for their close relatives, tree squirrels. It’s a description of motion more than of any real social bond: chipmunks are solitary, territorial animals, and a “scurry” is usually just several individuals converging on the same generous food source at once.
Quick Facts
| Animal | Chipmunks |
|---|---|
| Scientific genus | Tamias / Neotamias |
| Category | Mammals (ground squirrels) |
Deck of Nouns
On This Page
What Is a Group of Chipmunks Called?
Scurry is the only widely documented collective noun for chipmunks, borrowed directly from the term used for their larger squirrel relatives. It’s a fitting choice: chipmunks rarely sit still, darting between burrow entrances and food sources in short, fast bursts rather than moving in any coordinated group formation.
Where Did the Name Come From?
“Scurry” is a plain descriptive word, not a coined term of venery from medieval hunting tradition — chipmunks, being small New World rodents, never appeared on the historic English word lists that gave us terms like “murder” of crows or “parliament” of owls. The name simply describes how a chipmunk moves: quick, low, darting bursts across open ground between the safety of burrow entrances.
Chipmunk Facts
- Solitary by nature: Despite the shared collective noun, chipmunks are strongly territorial and generally avoid one another outside of breeding season.
- Built-in grocery bags: Chipmunks have expandable cheek pouches that can stretch to roughly three times the size of their head, letting them haul large quantities of seeds and nuts back to their burrow in one trip.
- True hibernators, sort of: Chipmunks hibernate through winter but periodically wake to snack on their underground food caches, unlike bears, which fast through their entire winter dormancy.
- Underground architects: A single chipmunk burrow system can stretch over 30 feet, with separate chambers for sleeping, food storage, and waste.
- Range: Most of the roughly 25 chipmunk species live in North America, with one species, the Siberian chipmunk, native to Asia.
Example Sentences
- A scurry of chipmunks darted across the picnic area the moment the sandwiches came out.
- By late fall, the scurry of chipmunks around the old stone wall had mostly gone quiet, tucked into their burrows for winter.
🧠 Test Your Chipmunk Knowledge
Three quick questions. See what stuck.
1. What is a group of chipmunks called?
2. What are a chipmunk’s cheek pouches used for?
3. How do chipmunks handle winter?
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a group of chipmunks called?
A group of chipmunks is called a scurry, the same term used for tree squirrels.
Do chipmunks actually live in groups?
No. Chipmunks are solitary and territorial; a scurry usually just describes several individuals drawn to the same food source at once.
What do chipmunks eat?
Chipmunks are omnivores that eat mostly seeds, nuts, berries, and grains, along with occasional insects and small invertebrates.
Do chipmunks hibernate?
Yes, but not continuously. Chipmunks enter a light hibernation and wake every few days to eat from their underground food stores.
Where do chipmunks live?
Most chipmunk species live in North America, in forests, brushland, and suburban yards, with one species native to Siberia.
Small, Fast, and Fiercely Independent
A scurry of chipmunks looks like teamwork from a distance, but it’s really just a handful of independent operators making the most of the same lucky food find. That contradiction — a group name for an animal that avoids grouping — is part of what makes chipmunks such a fun entry on this list.