Habitat

Rabbits can be found like to live on grassland where there is plenty of cover usually in woodlands , hedgerows , thickets sand dunes and rocky outcrops also rabbits prefer areas where large burrow systems can be built.

Distribution in the uk

Can be found all over the uk.

  Months seen

All year round very active at dawn and dusk.

Food eaten

Rabbits feed on most arable crops and vedgetables ,grass , roots and young trees.

Habits

Rabbits are very territorial agaisnt other colonies(Warren) of rabbits and will rarely leave more than 200m away from the burows to feed in the summer most colonies are hives of activity bucks are courting doe's and are keeping rivals away from their prospective partners and the young jump and play just outside the burrows so that if predators approach then the adults would thump there back foot sending the colony into running with there tails up and down into there burrows which send predators into confusion. In winter rabbits gnaw on bark which damages young trees and during the day they eat the soft dropping which still have undigested vitamins and proteins. Rabbits have fine eyesight which give all-round vision and a keen sense of smell meaning predators have to be extra skillful to catch them usually predators attack the young and sick rabbits which can keep colonys healthy.

Tracking

 Rabbits are easier to track in the snow as there hind feet and fore feet show a very characteristic foot pattern and reveal if the rabbit was running or feeding at a slower pase allowing them to be followed back to there burrows also rabbits round dropping's show if rabbits are living in an area these are usually black or green depending on how long they were passed by the rabbit they are full of plant fibre giving you a good way to track them.

Courtship

Female rabbits (does) have lots of litters in a year from January to August but young can be seen all year round  normally 3 to 7 young per litter when the female goes out to feed she will seal the entrance of the burrow with soil and grass and will only return to feed the young so that predators have a harder time of finding the baby rabbits creche. Rabbits are independent and mature at 4 months which allows for a quick breeding cycles. A relaxed over populated colony where predators are scarce rabbits have to be controlled by man as big colonys can be affected by disease (Mixametosis) so rabbits have to be controlled due to there fast breeding behaviour.

 Check out our Rabbit pages Below :

 PhPhotographs taken by ,www.wildlifebcnp.org ,Mike Mottram