However, outside the breeding season and particularly in winter, several red squirrels may share a drey to keep warm.
After leaving the drey, a young squirrel is termed a juvenile for its first year of life.
Drey construction materials and sizes differ according to squirrel species and region.
A drey is almost always at least 20 ft above the ground, and flying squirrels build much higher.
Eastern gray squirrels build a type of nest, known as a drey, in the forks of trees, consisting mainly of dry leaves and twigs.
They are sometimes referred to as drey nests to distinguish them from squirrel cavity nests (also termed dens).
Sometimes squirrels build their own dreys and sometimes they occupy a vacant drey that was previously constructed by another tree squirrel, often of a different species.
Drey sits down and joins him.
