Habitat of Eastern Cottontail Rabbits
The eastern cottontail rabbit has the largest geographic range of all the cottontail species in North America, living across a large chunk of the continent. The eastern cottontail typically will reside in those areas that are between open spaces and heavily forested ground. The eastern cottontail is an important species within its ecosystem, with many predators depending on it as a food source, making its choice of living quarters dependent on good cover.
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Geography
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The range of this rabbit extends from extreme southern New England southwards to the Deep South. The "National Audubon Society Field Guide to Mammals" says the eastern cottontail lives as far west as Texas, with small populations in states like New Mexico and Arizona. The species exists into Oklahoma, Kansas and the Dakotas. A very similar species, the New England cottontail, occupies the Northeast and mid-Atlantic states, with the exception of most of Maine.
Early Successional
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The eastern cottontail is what the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries site calls an early successional species. This means that the rabbit will thrive in an area where plants that can colonize bare ground quickly will grow. Plants like weeds and grasses are important parts of the cottontail diet. The rabbit also requires cover, provided in many cases by brush that grows in areas close by these food sources.
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Safe Havens
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The eastern cottontail is a big part of the menus of many predators. Some are of a terrestrial nature like foxes and bobcats, while other threats come from the sky in the form of hawks and owls. The cottontail lives as long as it does by choosing a habitat that offers it some protection from its enemies. The eastern cottontail will escape into and live in thickets of brush, blackberry bushes, grown-over fencerows and hedgerows and dense patches of briars. The cottontail can get into such places, while its larger enemies cannot.
Providing Habitat
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To help provide suitable habitat for the eastern cottontail, you may decide to cut back the forested areas close to any fields you may have. This allows for the growth of the type of plants cottontails relish. By allowing the edges of pastures and fields to grow up, you leave plants that are both food and cover for a cottontail. The eastern cottontail will often use a brush pile as a place to feel safe; putting one close to grassy fields gives the creature a spot where it may flee to when necessary.
Considerations
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Swamps are a popular habitat for the eastern cottontail, especially if the rabbit can traverse them without having to get too wet. The cottontail can swim when it needs to but would rather stay dry. Severe cold weather will often force a cottontail to stay in an abandoned woodchuck burrow. The mother cottontail will build a nest out of plant materials like sedges and grasses combined with some of her own fur, usually in a hollow spot on the ground, in which to give birth to her young.
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References
- Photo Credit rabbit in the garden image by hazel proudlove from Fotolia.com
