Sylvilagus nuttallii
Silhouette: T. Michael Keesey · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
The mountain cottontail or Nuttall's cottontail (Sylvilagus nuttallii) is a species of rabbit found in western Canada and the United States. It is a medium- to small-sized rabbit with pale brown fur, white undersides, a two-colored tail, and black-tipped, rounded ears with densely furred insides. It has notably rusty-colored legs and an orange nape. The mountain cottontail appears largely among coniferous forests in mountainous regions, including the slopes of the Rocky Mountains and the Cascade-Sierra Nevada mountain ranges, and adapts to a variety of elevations and vegetation. Its diet is made up of various grasses, shrubs, and sagebrush, as well as twigs, bark, or fungi in lesser amounts or when foliage is scarce.
The mountain cottontail was first described in 1837 by naturalist John Bachman and named Lepus nuttallii; the specific name commemorates zoologist Thomas Nuttall. Marcus Ward Lyon Jr. placed the species in the genus Sylvilagus in 1904. The species is closely related to the desert cottontail, and less so to the swamp rabbit and marsh rabbit. There are three subspecies of the mountain cottontail, and limited evidence points to the three as each making up distinct species.
The range of the mountain cottontail has shrunk as a result of climate change and competition from the eastern cottontail and other leporids, though the species is sympatric with the snowshoe hare, with the mountain cottontail generally occupying lower elevations in the same region. It is a target of rabbiting and is seasonally protected by hunting authorities as game. The mountain cottontail also has many predators and is affected by various parasites and diseases such as tularemia and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Across its entire range, the species is assessed as "least concern" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), but province- and state-specific conservation assessments vary, with Arizona and British Columbia marking it as "vulnerable". Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rocky Mountain National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Yellowstone National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Badlands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Calgary | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Salt Lake City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Denver | 🇺🇸 United States |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Mountain Cottontail sighting in Rocky Mountain National Park on a given day, based on 97 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 13th most-seen of the 27 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January–February, April and October
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Mountain Cottontail in Rocky Mountain National Park on a given day, against about 10% in March, the lowest month.
Between 6 and 9 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Mountain Cottontail sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Yes
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Mountain Cottontail sightings, Rocky Mountain National Park has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Yellowstone National Park (United States, about 10%) and Badlands National Park (United States, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Mountain Cottontail is recorded against all the mammals logged in Rocky Mountain National Park (97 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
