Washington mammals

Pygmy Rabbit in Washington

Sylvilagus idahoensis

Native to Washington S1 Critically Imperiled in Washington

Not listed as nonindigenous in Washington by USGS NAS; native to its Washington range.

IUCN Red List status

  1. LC
  2. NT
  3. VU
  4. EN
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX

LC – Least Concern

Widespread and abundant; not at risk.

Pygmy rabbit (22694681746)Pygmy rabbit foraging in short grassPygmy rabbit in sagebrush-steppe habitatPygmy rabbit at a burrow entrance in snowPygmy rabbit sitting in fresh snow
Photo: USFWS - Pacific Region · Public domainPygmy rabbit (22694681746)Photo: U.S. National Park Service · Public domainPygmy rabbit foraging in short grassPhoto: USFWS Pacific Region · Public domainPygmy rabbit in sagebrush-steppe habitatPhoto: H. Ulmscheider (BLM) and R. Dixon (IDFG) · Public domainPygmy rabbit at a burrow entrance in snowPhoto: U.S. National Park Service · Public domainPygmy rabbit sitting in fresh snow

Pygmy Rabbit in Washington, by the numbers

Rare in Washington 112th most recorded of 145 mammals logged in Washington

14 occurrence records
14 with iNaturalist photos
Mar 29, 2025 Last seen in Washington

Records from 2000–2026.

When to look for the Pygmy Rabbit in Washington

Most sightings fall in February to March.

14 Washington occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) by month of year, 2000–2026. Shows when the species is recorded, not a guarantee of presence. Based on a small number of dated records; the seasonal pattern may not be representative.

Monthly Washington records (table)
MonthRecords
January0
February4
March4
April0
May1
June1
July1
August2
September0
October0
November1
December0

Monthly pygmy rabbit occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in Washington, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in Washington, with recorded sightings peaking in February–March.

Occurrence map

Where Pygmy Rabbit has been recorded in Washington

14 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

14 Washington records mapped

Where it's recorded in Washington

CountyRecords
Grant County 8
Douglas County 6

The complete county distribution, spread across 2 Washington counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

For Washington, pygmy rabbit has a 14-record occurrence file covering 2000–2026. Source coverage is uneven: 14 records come through iNaturalist and 6 through GBIF. Within the 126-species Washington ranking, that places it at number 100.

The time series rises highest in March (4) and is thinnest in January (0). Named search areas include Hanford Reach National Monument and Columbia National Wildlife Refuge; neither is quantified as a hotspot here. Observer access, surveys, and archives shape this pattern, so it should not be called abundance.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist.

Pygmy rabbit (22694681746)
Full species profile Pygmy Rabbit Sylvilagus idahoensis Size 23.5–29.5 cm9.3–11.6 in Weight 375–500 g0.8–1.1 lb Lifespan Up to 4.3 yr View the full profile

More mammals in Washington in the atlas

Data & sources

The data and visualizations on this page draw on these open sources:

  • GBIFCC-BY 4.0occurrence records behind the range map, elevation, and record counts
  • iNaturalistCC0 / CC-BY / CC-BY-SAobservations, photos, and audio recordings
  • NatureServe ExplorerCC-BYthe state conservation rank
  • IUCN Red Listattributed factthe global conservation status
  • USGS NASpublic domainnative / introduced status
  • Natural Earthpublic domainthe relief basemap
  • USFSpublic domainnational-forest boundaries