The brush rabbit is the small, dark cottontail of Oregon’s wet west side, and 982 state records draw that range cleanly. Washington County leads with 302, and the coastal strip from Clatsop and Tillamook south through Lincoln, Lane, Coos, and Curry carries much of the rest.
Never far from cover
Unlike the jackrabbits of the dry interior, a brush rabbit lives its whole life within a quick dash of dense brush: blackberry tangles, salal, salmonberry, and the thick understory of coastal forest. It threads runways through that cover and seldom crosses open ground. Oregon’s record fits the habitat, running through Siuslaw National Forest and Lewis and Clark National Historical Park on the north coast, the McDonald-Dunn Research Forest in the Coast Range foothills, and the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge Wilderness Area along the shore.
Active through the gray months
Brush rabbits breed from late winter into summer and raise several small litters in surface nests tucked under cover. Oregon’s mild marine climate keeps them moving all year, and records appear in every month, building through spring to a June and July crest before easing back as the days shorten.
Status in Oregon
NatureServe ranks the brush rabbit S5, Secure, in Oregon, and the species is native along the coast. USGS NAS does not list it as nonindigenous in the state.
Full species profile
