Where’s Wildlife · Mammal Field Guide
Sylvilagus floridanus
Pronounced (approx.): sil-VIL-uh-gus flor-ih-DAY-nus
A familiar rabbit that relies on nearby cover and a quick burst of speed.
Eastern Cottontail. Select the image to browse all 10 photographs.
NATIVE TO NORTH AMERICA
White underside of short tail
Mottled brown-gray coat
Long ears and powerful hind legs
Compare views, markings and body shapes in the photographs below.
The Eastern Cottontail has a rounded body, large eyes, long ears and long hind feet. Its mottled brown-gray fur blends with dry vegetation. The bright white underside of the short tail is often easiest to see as the rabbit bounds away.
A rabbit sitting still can be surprisingly hard to spot. Look for the outline of the ears and dark eyes among grass or brush. Young cottontails are small versions of the same general shape; body size alone is not a reliable species clue.
Cottontails feed on grasses and other leafy plants when these are available. Woody twigs and bark become more useful in colder months. They favor places where feeding areas sit close to dense vegetation that offers escape cover.
A female makes a shallow nest lined with grass and fur. The young are born helpless and remain concealed while developing. In the Midwest, breeding is concentrated in the warmer part of the year, and a female may raise more than one litter.
The nest is a shallow, lined depression.
The menu shifts from green plants toward woody foods in winter.
Dense vegetation is an important part of usable habitat.
Eastern Cottontails occur widely in eastern and central North America and beyond. Brushy field borders, thickets and many human-altered landscapes suit them. Other cottontail species overlap parts of the range, so location matters.
Explore reported sightings on iNaturalist. Observation records are not a complete range map.