U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service New England Cottontail (Sylvilagus transitionalis)

Sometimes called the gray rabbit, brush The habitat loss is also true for the rabbit, wood hare or cooney, the New more than 60 other kinds of wildlife England cottontail is the only rabbit that depend on young forest, including native to New England and east of the woodcock, a broad range of songbirds, Hudson River in New York. The other ruffed grouse, bobcats, snowshoe cottontail seen in this region is the hares, box turtles and frosted elfin eastern cottontail (S. floridanus), an butterflies. abundant but non-native species that looks very similar to the New England Saving a Species and its Habitat cottontail. State and federal biologists began a coordinated effort in 2008 to save Shrinking Range the New England cottontail. The The New England cottontail was states of New York, Connecticut, historically found in seven states Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New and ranged from southeastern New Hampshire and Maine, along with York east of the Hudson River, as far the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, as northern Vermont, through New the Wildlife Management Institute Hampshire and southern Maine, and and the USDA-Natural Resources south throughout Massachusetts, Conservation Service have developed Connecticut and Rhode Island. Since and implemented a science-based 1960, due to maturing forests and USFWS conservation strategy to bolster development, the range of the New More than 130 rabbits have been raised the populations of New England England cottontail shrank by over 80 in several locations and later released. cottontails. percent, and the rabbit is no longer found in Vermont. The strategy focuses on creating oak barrens, utility rights-of-way, or and maintaining the young forest Competing Cottontails other areas where disturbance has and shrubland that New England From the late 1800s through the 1960s, stimulated the growth of shrubs and cottontails need to survive. The large numbers of eastern cottontail other plants. effort has united foresters, farmers, were introduced to areas across New birdwatchers, biologists, hunters, England. Today, with the exception of New England cottontails are reluctant federal and state wildlife professionals Maine, the common eastern cottontail to venture from the cover and food occupies most of the New England provided by these thick growths. As cottontail’s range, and in many areas, forests mature, understory plants has completely replaced the New thin, leading to declining thicket England cottontail. habitats and New England cottontail populations. External characteristics distinguishing the two species are subtle, making it The maturing of forest and difficult to tell them apart in the field. corresponding loss of habitat is the Skull shape and genetic samples clearly greatest threat to the New England differentiate the two species. cottontail. As forests mature, trees and shrubs die out, and the more open In Need of Thick Cover forest understory becomes unsuitable Unlike the eastern cottontail, New for this rabbit. As this maturation and England cottontails rely exclusively on suburban development happens on young forests and shrublands (early- a larger scale, the remaining small, successional habitats). These habitats isolated patches of suitable habitat will are often associated with abandoned not sustain cottontail populations over agricultural lands, wetlands, clearcuts time. of woodlands, coastal shrublands, scrub and other conservationists. Private landowners have and will continue to play a crucial role in the recovery of the species, since many of the known populations living on private lands.

Tails of Success Several efforts have demonstrated that the conservation strategy is having a positive effect for the rabbit. One of the earliest projects in Spignesi Wildlife Management Area

You Can Help Young Forest and New England Cottontails n Create young forest and shrub thickets on your land. n Maintain shrub fields or young USFWS forests by mowing or cutting back Experts use heavy machinery to harvest trees and cut back shrubs, and they portions of them every five to 15 conduct controlled burns that foster young forest growth. Additionally, partners years. and volunteers have planted shrubs and created cottontail burrows to speed up n Conserve your land. the process. n Support habitat projects on public and private lands. in Scotland, Connecticut, in 2007 led Conservation Actions Keep Cottontail n Become a well-informed advocate to New England cottontails moving Off Endangered Species List for New England’s native rabbit in by 2014. Tree clearing at Stonyfield From 2006 until the early fall of and other young forest wildlife Yogurt’s plant in 2008 in Londonderry, 2015, the Service classified the New by regularly visiting www. New Hampshire, resulted in a many- England cottontail as a candidate newenglandcottontail.org, www. fold increase of the site’s population. for Endangered Species Act youngforest.org, and www. Additionally, for the first time in protection. In September 2015, the timberdoodle.org. history, New England cottontails were Service removed the cottontail as n Volunteer for your town select bred and raised in captivity. a candidate species, determining board or conservation commission, that, as a result of conservation or join a land trust, and propose More than 18,000 acres of young actions, the species no longer meets habitat projects on municipal or forest now exists or will soon be the definition of threatened or land-trust holdings. created, and the partners are closing endangered. in on a 27,000-acre goal by 2030. Biologists estimate that about 10,500 Those conservation actions are New England cottontails now live in described in the “New England priority focus areas, bringing the effort Cottontail Conservation Strategy” three-quarters of the way to a goal of The partnership has a proven 13,500 rabbits in healthy young forest track record for implementing the landscapes by 2030. strategy and its specific actions throughout the species’ range, and Moving Forward has clearly demonstrated that those Partners across New England and actions will continue. This provides New York are committed to the path for more management flexibility to recovery already underway, and and fewer conservation action will continue efforts to maintain implementation costs. and develop voluntary conservation agreements with landowners willing This decision means that states to restore habitat in key areas. The maintain authority over the captive breeding and release program New England cottontail. Refer will provide rabbits to boost remaining to the state wildlife agencies populations. for information regarding local protections and management. Biologists will monitor the effectiveness of the conservation strategy and make needed adjustments to maximize U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service benefits to the species. Plans and 1 800/344 WILD USFWS actions are in place to secure the future http://www.fws.gov A clear cut may look unsightly to of the New England cottontail and its September 2015 people for a few years, but it’s a young forest habitat for generations welcome sight and life-sustaining to come. home for wildlife. This photo shows a farm following the cut and then one year later.