{"id":138360,"date":"2025-01-02T02:50:37","date_gmt":"2025-01-02T08:50:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=138360"},"modified":"2024-12-29T09:51:19","modified_gmt":"2024-12-29T15:51:19","slug":"eastern-cottontail-rabbits-do-they-hibernate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2025\/01\/02\/eastern-cottontail-rabbits-do-they-hibernate\/","title":{"rendered":"Eastern Cottontail Rabbits – Do They Hibernate?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Over the past few months, I’ve been seeing fewer Eastern Cottontail rabbits, which led me down a momentary rabbit hole wondering if this rabbit species hibernates. Then I remembered that rabbits and hares don’t.<\/p>\n

\"SummertimeSummertime Eastern Cottontail eating grass \u2013 Canon R7, handheld, f8, 1\/250, ISO 800, Canon 100-400mm at 400mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

While many animals slow down or disappear entirely during winter, these hardy rabbits remain active through the colder months. That said, their behavior shifts as temperatures drop.<\/p>\n

During harsh weather, they conserve energy by reducing their activity. Eastern Cottontails are crepuscular, meaning they\u2019re most active at dawn and dusk, and they spend the daylight hours tucked away in cozy shelters like dense vegetation or underbrush.<\/p>\n

Winter also brings changes to their diet. The greens they favor during warmer months become scarce, so they adapt by eating woody plants, tree bark, and buds. Eastern Cottontail rabbits don\u2019t dig their own burrows, but they\u2019re resourceful. Abandoned burrows, dense shrubs, and brush piles provide much-needed protection from winter\u2019s chill.<\/p>\n

Despite the challenges, these non-hibernating rabbits are a familiar sight in winter landscapes. Whether you\u2019re out at dawn or catching a glimpse of one nibbling on twigs at dusk, their resilience is a reminder of how wildlife adapts to survive each and every season.<\/p>\n

Lately, I\u2019ve also been hearing both Barred and Great Horned Owls calling at night, and their presence nearby and in the yard might explain why I\u2019m seeing fewer Eastern Cottontail rabbits. These owls are skilled hunters, often preying on rabbits and other small mammals. The local rabbit population is probably just staying tucked away, likely avoiding the watchful eyes of these nocturnal predators.<\/p>\n

And there have also been Coyotes on the prowl lately too.<\/p>\n

The Eastern Cottontail rabbits<\/span><\/a> know when to stay hidden.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Eastern Cottontail rabbit photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Over the past few months, I’ve been seeing fewer Eastern Cottontail rabbits, which led me down a momentary rabbit hole wondering if this rabbit species hibernates.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":138357,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13950,14057,13951],"tags":[6372,4865,14063,15010,4286,13931,3747,4109,12830,6371,4864,15824,2315,14062,13966,4193],"class_list":["post-138360","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arkansas","category-eastern-cottontails","category-sebastian-county","tag-cottontail","tag-cottontails","tag-eastern-cottontail","tag-eastern-cottontail-rabbit","tag-eating","tag-garden","tag-grass","tag-grasses","tag-hibernate","tag-rabbit","tag-rabbits","tag-suburban","tag-summer-3","tag-sylvilagus-floridanus","tag-yard","tag-young"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/eastern-cottontail-rabbit-young-mia-mcpherson-2398.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-zZC","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":152043,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2025\/08\/09\/one-adorable-eastern-cottontail-rabbit-baby\/","url_meta":{"origin":138360,"position":0},"title":"One Adorable Eastern Cottontail Rabbit Baby","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 9, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday I had one adorable Eastern Cottontail rabbit baby in my viewfinder, and I was super excited to take a series of photos of him or her.","rel":"","context":"In "Arkansas"","block_context":{"text":"Arkansas","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/arkansas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Baby Eastern Cottontail Rabbit in Arkansas, Sebastian County","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/eastern-cottontail-rabbit-baby-mia-mpcherson-6310.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/eastern-cottontail-rabbit-baby-mia-mpcherson-6310.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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Cottontail at Mount Magazine SP, Logan County, Arkansas","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/eastern-cottontail-Mt-Magazine-SP-mia-mcpherson-3040.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/eastern-cottontail-Mt-Magazine-SP-mia-mcpherson-3040.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/eastern-cottontail-Mt-Magazine-SP-mia-mcpherson-3040.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/eastern-cottontail-Mt-Magazine-SP-mia-mcpherson-3040.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":134784,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/09\/21\/cute-young-eastern-cottontail\/","url_meta":{"origin":138360,"position":2},"title":"Cute Young Eastern Cottontail","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"September 21, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Today, I\u2019m sharing a close-up of a young Eastern Cottontail rabbit that I took a couple of days ago while sitting as low to the ground as I could possibly get.","rel":"","context":"In "Arkansas"","block_context":{"text":"Arkansas","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/arkansas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Young Eastern Cottontail close up, Sebastian County, Arkansas","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/eastern-cottontail-rabbit-young-mia-mcpherson-1659.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/eastern-cottontail-rabbit-young-mia-mcpherson-1659.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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rabbit in Arkansas, Sebastian County, Arkansas","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/eastern-cottontail-young-arkansas-mia-mcpherson-1951.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/eastern-cottontail-young-arkansas-mia-mcpherson-1951.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/eastern-cottontail-young-arkansas-mia-mcpherson-1951.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/eastern-cottontail-young-arkansas-mia-mcpherson-1951.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5314,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2012\/07\/09\/cottontail-rabbit\/","url_meta":{"origin":138360,"position":4},"title":"Desert Cottontail Rabbit","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"July 9, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"I photographed this little Cottontail Rabbit yesterday on Antelope Island State Park. 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