Illinois marks the northern tip of swamp rabbit country. This heavy, rust-legged cottontail is built for river bottoms and cypress-edged wetlands farther south, and the state’s Cache River State Natural Area, in the far southern tip near the Shawnee Hills, sits about as far north as the species reliably turns up. NatureServe lists it S3, Vulnerable, in Illinois, a much shakier standing than its secure rating across most of its southern range.
Reports here are modest but real: 50 records show up statewide, split between Cache River State Natural Area, Chautauqua National Wildlife Refuge, and Upper Mississippi River refuge lands, wetlands and river-bottom habitat that match what this rabbit needs elsewhere. Unlike the eastern cottontail sharing the same ground, a swamp rabbit will dive into standing water rather than run when something comes after it. Records peak in January, with a second bump in April, though that’s probably more about when people were out looking than a true breeding season.
Full species profile
