The brush rabbit (Sylvilagus bachmani), or Duqht in the Wiyot language is a species of rabbit that can be found along the Pacific coast. It inhabits dense, brush cover and is rarely found far from its home. It is estimated the home range of the Brush Rabbit is just under 1 acre for males and just under 0.5 acres for females. Their bramble clumps often have extensive networks of trails and runways, and while the brush rabbit doesn’t dig a burrow of its own, it will inhabit the burrows of other species. Brush rabbits most commonly live in chaparral vegetation, but are also found in oak and conifer habitats. These rabbits are quite a common sight in Humboldt County.
Brush rabbits are herbivores, primarily feeding on grasses and forbs. They forage alone or in groups. They are shy and cautious, though they may sometimes be seen sunning mid morning. At the sight of a predator, the rabbit freezes with the hopes of hiding if in a brushy area. If it is caught out in the open, it runs away in a zigzag pattern. Additionally, these rabbits thump their back feet when startled. While the overall population of brush rabbits is stable, one subspecies, riparian brush rabbit, is listed as an endangered species by the USFWS, and another subspecies, the San Jose brush rabbit is considered critically endangered.
[ID: three photos of brush rabbits, a small rabbit with short legs and a short tail. The first photo is a full body shot of an alert rabbit facing to the side in an open, grassy space. The second is another side view of a rabbit, though this one is surrounded by vegetation. The final photo shows a rabbit sniffing the ground. End ID]
Sources: Western Brush Rabbit–OVLC.org and brush rabbit–wikipedia
Photos: Doug Greenberg and Allan Hack on Flickr