I always thought cottontails were all over the state. Didnt realize it wasnt native either. Learn something everyday.
This rabbit was introduced in various places in Washington, starting in 1926. In eastern Washington, it occurs in wetter, brushy and other types of habitat providing low cover, including sagebrush, river bank thickets, rock outcrops, gullies, etc. On the west side of the state, it is found in much of the low-elevation, disturbed areas.
Its range limits were delineated around known locations with all zones where it occurs being core areas. It is almost certainly more widespread than indicated by records. In the steppe, Ponderosa Pine, and Oak zones, low density development, irrigated agriculture, and water/wetlands, were good. In the forested zones on the west side, low density development, agriculture, water/wetlands, and non-forested were good.
