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Species authority page

European rabbit

Oryctolagus cuniculus · Hares and rabbits · Small game

European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus): Grey coat sprinkled with black and brown (sometimes red); paler underside; white tail underside. 1.5-2.5 kg, 38-50 cm. This profile does not establish whether taking it is legal anywhere.

Check rules for a place and dateOpen the european rabbit map

Certified rules currently represented in Hunt: coverage in development. This is coverage, not a legal answer.

European rabbit sitting in a meadow
Adobe Stock · Free asset, Standard License (asset 442279366)
Scientific name
Oryctolagus cuniculus
Family
Leporidae
In North America
Introduced
Range
Native to the Iberian Peninsula and Mediterranean; introduced worldwide, including established populations in North America. A colony is well established on the prairie of American Camp, San Juan Island, Washington; feral rabbits are reported across Alberta in urban and rural environments; feral domestic rabbits are regularly seen in south Anchorage, Alaska.
Biology

How to identify it

Grey coat sprinkled with black and brown (sometimes red); paler underside; white tail underside. [1][2][3][4]

1.5-2.5 kg, 38-50 cm. [1][2][3][4]

Smaller ears and shorter legs than hares. [1][2][3][4]

Compared with the european hare: Hares have longer ears and legs and do not live in warrens. [1][2][3][4]

Species it is confused with

Check these before deciding what you are looking at. If you are not certain what it is, do not shoot.

Field notes

  • Identification Confirm a european rabbit before you act. Compared with the european hare: Hares have longer ears and legs and do not live in warrens.[1][2][3][4]
Field knowledge

Where it lives

Dry areas with soft, sandy soil suitable for burrowing: grasslands, forest edges and cultivated land. [1][2][3][4]

Feral rabbits thrive in urban areas, parks, farmlands and grasslands, preferring thick cover to hide in and soft ground for shallow burrows. [1][2][3][4]

Field knowledge

How it behaves

Mainly nocturnal and crepuscular [1][2][3][4]

Social; lives in warrens (tunnel systems) with dominance hierarchies [1][2][3][4]

Signals danger by thumping hind legs [1][2][3][4]

Grazes grasses and leaves; re-ingests soft droppings [1][2][3][4]

Regulatory handoff

Where it is listed for removal or nuisance take

These authorities list this species as nuisance, invasive or unprotected wildlife that may be taken. This is not a game season.

Where legal take is listed

Being listed is not an open season. Seasons, zones, licences, methods and limits decide whether this animal may be taken on a given day and place — check Hunt or the authority before you go. Listings read 2026-09-30.

Geospatial intelligence

Where it is found

Native to the Iberian Peninsula and Mediterranean; introduced worldwide, including established populations in North America. A colony is well established on the prairie of American Camp, San Juan Island, Washington; feral rabbits are reported across Alberta in urban and rural environments; feral domestic rabbits are regularly seen in south Anchorage, Alaska.

Biology

Sources

Every claim above is attributed to one of these published sources.

  1. BIOLOGICALEuropean Rabbit

    Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology · reviewed 2026-09-30

    Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology

  2. U.S. National Park Service, NPSpecies · reviewed 2026-09-30

    U.S. National Park Service, NPSpecies

  3. Alberta Invasive Species Council · reviewed 2026-09-30

    Alberta Invasive Species Council

  4. Alaska Department of Fish and Game · reviewed 2026-09-30

    Alaska Department of Fish and Game