Jul 13, 2026 · 16 min · 11 segments
In this article, wildlife technician Kendall Schenck writes about the New England cottontail, a rare, native northeastern species that is vulnerable to habitat loss, competition with eastern…
Kendall SchenckGuestProject Upland Podcast HostHost
The New England Cottontail, the only native cottontail rabbit east of the Hudson River, is struggling to survive in a changing landscape.
The Northeast is an area rich with history and dense with regional pride, and its wildlife is no exception.
Although few people are familiar with it, the New England Cottontail is as much a part of the region's natural heritage as its autumn foliage or the Patriots.
Today, the New England Cottontail survives in less than 15% of its historic range and is quietly disappearing from northeastern forests.
If you picture your run-of-the-mill rabbit running across open fields or sneaking into backyard gardens, that is likely not a New England Cottontail.
While these reclusive rabbits look nearly identical to the more prevalent Eastern Cottontail, New England Cottontails prefer heavy understory cover to open fields and forest edges, earning them the nicknames Brush Rabbit and Wood Rabbit.
New England Cottontails grow to be approximately 2 to 3 pounds and 15 to 17 inches, with a mottled brown and gray coat, white underside, and a striking white cotton tail.
Upon closer inspection, they have hairier and more veinous ears than an Eastern Cottontail.
And while Easterns often have a white patch on their foreheads, some New England Cottontails have a small black patch of fur between their ears.
However, these differences are hard to see from a distance, and they're not always reliable indicators.
The only true way to distinguish them is through genetic testing or close examination of the skull.
The New England Cottontail, the only native cottontail rabbit east of the Hudson River, is struggling to survive in a changing landscape.
The Northeast is an area rich with history and dense with regional pride, and its wildlife is no exception.
Although few people are familiar with it, the New England Cottontail is as much a part of the region's natural heritage as its autumn foliage or the Patriots.
Today, the New England Cottontail survives in less than 15% of its historic range and is quietly disappearing from northeastern forests.
If you picture your run-of-the-mill rabbit running across open fields or sneaking into backyard gardens, that is likely not a New England Cottontail.
While these reclusive rabbits look nearly identical to the more prevalent Eastern Cottontail, New England Cottontails prefer heavy understory cover to open fields and forest edges, earning them the nicknames Brush Rabbit and Wood Rabbit.
New England Cottontails grow to be approximately 2 to 3 pounds and 15 to 17 inches, with a mottled brown and gray coat, white underside, and a striking white cotton tail.
Upon closer inspection, they have hairier and more veinous ears than an Eastern Cottontail.
And while Easterns often have a white patch on their foreheads, some New England Cottontails have a small black patch of fur between their ears.
However, these differences are hard to see from a distance, and they're not always reliable indicators.
The only true way to distinguish them is through genetic testing or close examination of the skull.
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