All About Rabbits
A True, Original Native
The New England cottontail has lived in its native region for many thousands of years. A signature species of young forest, it shares that habitat with many other wild animals, including – to name but a few – the bobcat, white-tailed deer, American woodcock, ruffed grouse, golden-winged warbler, and wood turtle.
Historic 1960s range (black line), current populations (red), and conservation focus areas (yellow) for New England cottontail restoration./USFWS
In recent years, this rabbit's population has dwindled as areas of young forest and shrubland become middle-aged and older woodland, and as humans develop the landscape and suppress natural disturbance processes, such as wildfires and beaver activity, that once created big expanses of regrowing forest. Now a partnership of conservationists and landowners are making, renewing, and maintaining the kind of habitat the New England cottontails need. Scientists are studying the rabbit’s habits, dispersal patterns, genetics, and behavior is building a solid foundation of knowledge to support the species’ restoration. A science-based conservation strategy directs the effort to bring back the cottontail and make sure it remains a resident of New England for many decades to come.
Where They Live, Then and Now
New England cottontails once lived from southeastern New York north into Vermont and southern Maine. Since the early 1900s, that range has shrunk significantly. Today the species still inhabits parts of New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine. Biologists have identified five subpopulations now isolated from one another by urban and suburban development.
Close Relatives
The larger snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) inhabits northern New England and New York. In winter, the snowshoe hare's fur turns white so that it blends into the snow-covered landscape. (The fur of cottontail rabbits stays brown year-round.)
The eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) was introduced by the hundreds of thousands to New England in the early twentieth century. It ranges throughout the Northeast and west to the Rocky Mountains. Today there are more eastern cottontails in New England than the native rabbit species. Biologists believe that eastern and New England cottontails do not interbreed or hybridize in the wild. However, they may compete for habitat.
Names and Appearance
A New England cottontail keeps an eye peeled for predators while feeding./D. Tibbetts
Also called the brush rabbit, woods rabbit, or coney, the New England cottontail is 15 to 17 inches long and weighs around 2 pounds – 20 percent smaller than the eastern cottontail.
The New England cottontail has a grayish brown pelt flecked with black, and a white tail. The New England cottontail looks much like the eastern cottontail. However, most New England cottontails have a small black spot on the forehead, whereas about half of all eastern cottontails have a white spot in the same place. The New England cottontail's ears are slightly shorter than those of the eastern cottontail and have a line of black fur along the outer edge.
It can be hard to tell a New England from an eastern cottontail. To confirm an identification, a scientist may examine a specimen’s skull shape and features or analyze DNA extracted from body tissues or droppings. DNA analysis of fecal pellets can be used to determine the presence, in a given area, of New England cottontails.
