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{{Short description|Nest of a tree squirrel, flying squirrel or ringtail possum}}
{{redirect|Squirrel's nest|information about the television program named "The Squirrel's Nest"|Johnny Carson#Squirrel's Nest}}
{{distinguish|Dray (disambiguation){{!}}Dray}}
{{More citations needed|date=November 2013}}
[[File:Tree squirrel drey, Rome, GA, US.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Drey in Rome, Georgia, US]]
[[File:Squirrels drey.JPG|thumb|right|300px|[[Eastern gray squirrel]] (''Sciurus carolinensis'') drey]]

A '''drey''' is the [[nest]] of a [[tree squirrel]], [[flying squirrel]] or [[western ringtail possum|ringtail possum]].<ref name="Bader2019">{{cite journal |last1=Bader |first1=J.C. |last2=Van Helden |first2=B.E. |last3=Close |first3=P.G. |last4=Speldewinde |first4=P.C. |last5=Comer |first5=S.J. |title=Sheoak Woodlands: A Newly Identified Habitat for Western Ringtail Possums |journal=The Journal of Wildlife Management |volume=83 |issue=5 |pages=1254–1260 |date=12 June 2019 |doi=10.1002/jwmg.21686|bibcode=2019JWMan..83.1254B }}</ref> Dreys are usually built of twigs, dry leaves, and grass, and typically assembled in the forks of a tall [[tree]].<ref>Lawniczak, M. (2002).[http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Sciurus_carolinensis.html "Sciurus carolinensis"], [[Animal Diversity Web]].</ref> They are sometimes referred to as "drey nests" to distinguish them from squirrel "cavity nests" (also termed "dens"). In temperate regions, dreys become much more visible in the autumn, when [[leaf-fall]] reveals new nests built the previous summer or in early fall.

A favoured site for a drey is a tree crotch about 9–13&nbsp;m (29–42&nbsp;ft) above ground level. Squirrels may also nest in [[attic]]s or exterior walls of buildings, where a drey may be regarded as a [[fire hazard]], as some squirrels have a [[Tree squirrel#As pests|habit of gnawing on electrical cables]]. At other times, squirrels may inhabit a permanent tree den in the hollow of a trunk or large branch.

==Etymology==
[[File:Squirrel's Drey - pub sign - geograph.org.uk - 1270539.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Sign for the "Squirrel's Drey" [[pub]] in [[Sporle with Palgrave|Sporle]], [[Norfolk, UK]]]]
The origin of the word ''drey'' is unknown, but has been traced in English to the early 17th century.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20150920203243/http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/drey meaning and origin of the word "drey"] from Oxforddictionaries.com Accessed online September 29, 2015</ref>

==Construction==
In North America, dreys begin as a collection of small, gnawed-off branches bearing green leaves. The habit of harvesting these branches well before autumn (when the leaves would naturally fall) allows the leaves – though they turn brown – to adhere tightly throughout the winter.<ref name="UrbJung">{{cite news | date = 11 December 2012 | url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/metro/urban-jungle/pages/121211.html | title = Squirrel nests: A night in a drey | work = Urban Jungle: The changing natural world at our doorsteps | publisher = [[The Washington Post]] | first = Patterson | last = Clark}}</ref> A finished drey is a hollow sphere, about {{convert|30|cm|in}} or more in diameter, with branches and other rough-hewn materials loosely woven on the outside and an inner surface lined with a variety of finer materials, such as grass, moss, leaves, shredded bark or pine needles.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ray |first=C. Claiborne |date=2017-01-30 |title=How Squirrels Build Their Nests |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/30/science/squirrels-nests.html |access-date=2024-07-04 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> There may be one, or occasionally two, entrance/exit holes in a drey, usually close to the bottom and oriented toward the trunk, which keeps rain out. A second hole is used for an escape route. The incomplete or flat dreys sometimes seen may be hot-weather sleeping platforms, or abandoned efforts built by very young, inexperienced squirrels.

Drey construction materials and sizes differ according to squirrel species and region. [[Eastern gray squirrel]]s, for example, tend to use the leaves, bark and twigs of deciduous trees such as beech, elm, and oak. [[Southern flying squirrel]]s will often employ fungal [[rhizomorph]]s, deciduous leaves, bark and twigs in their nests, while [[northern flying squirrel]]s often use shredded cedar bark (among other types of bark), [[lichen]]s, [[moss]]es, leaves and twigs in their dreys. In the [[Pacific Northwest]], the northern flying squirrel employs the common ''[[Bryoria]]'' lichen as the primary material.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.flyingsquirrels.com/Shelter/drey.html | work = Shelter | publisher = Steve Patterson, FlyingSquirrels.com | title = Drey nests | url-status = dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105003406/http://www.flyingsquirrels.com/Shelter/drey.html | archive-date=November 5, 2012 }}</ref> A drey is almost always at least {{convert|6|m|ft}} above the ground, and flying squirrels build much higher.

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. Dreys must protect against the environment, and require constant upkeep to remain water- and predator-resistant. Squirrels often build more than one in a season, as reserve nests, lest the primary drey be disturbed by predators or overrun by [[fleas]] or [[lice]]. Some dreys have been observed in use for more than a decade by multiple generations of squirrels, although the average drey may be used only a year or two before being abandoned. If used repeatedly, squirrels must constantly maintain their drey, replenishing twigs and leaves as necessary. Remnants of an abandoned nest may be visible for years.

==Occupation==
[[File:Tails of two tree squirrels protruding from a drey.jpg|alt=Two tree squirrels rest side-by-side in the entrance of a drey, tails hanging out.|thumb|Two squirrels in the entrance of a drey]]
Male and female squirrels may share the same nest for short times during a [[breeding season]], and during cold winter spells squirrels may share a drey to stay warm. However, females nest alone when pregnant. In North America, squirrels produce broods of about three "pups" twice a year. (After leaving the drey, a young squirrel is termed a "juvenile" for its first year of life.) The June broods are sometimes born in dreys, but January broods are usually born and raised in tree cavities, which are much safer. Drey broods are about 40% less likely to survive than tree cavity broods, so long as the cavity entrance hole is no wider than about 15&nbsp;cm, which can keep out hungry [[Raccoon|raccoons]].<ref name="UrbJung" />

==Extended use of the term==
In the United Kingdom, [[Squirrel Scouts (The Scout Association)|Squirrel]] sections of the [[scouting|scouting movement]], catering for children aged 4-6, are referred to as "dreys".<ref>[[The Scout Association]], [https://www.scouts.org.uk/volunteers/running-your-section/running-a-squirrel-drey/ Running a Squirrel Drey], accessed 4 July 2024</ref>

==References==
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[[Category:Shelters built or used by animals]]
[[Category:Squirrels]]