Brownish-grey coloured squirrel with a pale ventral belly. The dorsal surface has three creamish-white stripes running down a dark brown saddle. The white eye-ring is prominent, although some individuals also show paler face stripes. Tail is bushy, grizzled brown in colour with a reddish mid-ventral line.

Endemic to southern India and Sri Lanka. Its known distribution is in the southern states extending up to parts of south-central India in the Deccan region.

They are found in a variety of habitats including scrublands, deciduous forests, plantations, villages and urban areas.

They are generalist feeders. They are omnivorous and mostly feed on fruits, nuts, buds, bark, flower nectar, human-subsidised food like rice, and other leftovers. They are also known to eat small insects from the ground or from tree bark.

Frequently vocal, giving a bird-like “chi chi” repetitive call.