Rabbits live in a variety of habitats worldwide, primarily where they can dig burrows and find food nearby. Their habitats include:
- Woodland edges, hedgerows, sand dunes, railway verges, and even urban areas where the ground is soft enough to burrow
- Forests, meadows, grasslands, deserts, tundra, wetlands, and steppes, showing their adaptability to different environments
- They create extensive underground burrow systems called warrens, which serve as homes, food storage, and protection from predators. These warrens are often networks of tunnels and dens, with dominant rabbits occupying central, safer areas and subordinates on the periphery
- European rabbits, native to the Iberian Peninsula and southwestern France, prefer short grasslands with secure refuges such as burrows, boulders, hedgerows, scrub, and woodland near feeding areas. They avoid damp conditions and dense conifer woodlands but can live up to the tree line if the land is well-drained
- Rabbits are found on every continent except Antarctica, with more than half living in North America. They have been introduced to many areas worldwide, including Australia and New Zealand
In summary, rabbits typically live in environments where they can dig burrows and have access to food, ranging from rural natural habitats to some urban areas. Their social structure influences the layout of their burrows and territory size.
