Rabbit

Rabbits were introduced to Britain by the Normans who kept them in fenced off warrens and harvested their meat and fur. The earliest known records of rabbits in Britain occurred during the 12th Century. Rabbits are very adaptable and have become so successful in many areas that they are considered to be a pest. Wild rabbits are gregarious and several hundred individuals may be found in one warren (a network of underground burrows). They are active during dusk and dawn, but will also come out during the day in undisturbed areas. Rabbits primarily feed on grass and leafy plants, but they will feed on bulbs, bark and twigs when food is scarce. Before the second world war rabbits were very commonly eaten many people. For small numbers, cage traps are an effctive method of control.

Where are they found?

Habitat:

Rabbit thrive in conditions where the grass sward is naturally short such as golf course, gardens and agricultural land grazed by sheep.
They prefer dry conditions and light sandy soil is perfect for them to establish extensive colonies called 'warrens'.
The valuable role rabbits play in the conservation of certain wildflower habitats such as the chalk downlands of southern England and the coastal machair grassland of Scotland was only recognised after the myxomatosis disease outbreak in the 1950 killed 99% of infected rabbits in Britain. the sudden reduction in rabbit numbers resulted in competing vegetation shading out rare wild flowers in these areas.

Habits:

Rabbits are grassland feeders and cause considerable damage to farmland arable and grass crops in Britain.
They graze closer to the ground than sheep and consequently areas subject to intensive cropping by rabbits becomes unavailable for sheep to graze.
They feed mainly during the twilight hours of dawn and dusk, but adults also feed throughout the night.
Rabbits live in established underground warrens, in colonies from 2 or 3 individuals up to massive colonies of several hundred individuals.