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Brown hare

Lepus europaeus

Bigger and leggier than a rabbit, with very long black-tipped ears and a turn of speed to match.

Size
About 60cm long
Look for it
All year round
Where
Open farmland, grassland and meadows

My spotter's list

Lopes after you in long bounds, then sits up to listen. Move your pointer and see.

When to look

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Brown hare

Good to know

Six things about the brown hare

Speed

Britain's fastest

A brown hare can run at about 45 miles an hour, which makes it the fastest land animal in Britain.

Boxing

Mad March hares

In spring you may see hares boxing. It is usually a female fending off a male who is being too keen.

Home

No burrow

Hares don't dig burrows. They rest in a shallow dip in the ground called a form.

Babies

Born ready

Baby hares are called leverets. They are born with fur and with their eyes open, and can run soon after.

Ears

Tell it from a rabbit

A hare is larger than a rabbit, with longer back legs and long ears with black tips.

Eyes

Seeing all round

A hare's eyes are set on the sides of its head, so it can see almost all the way round without turning.

The real thing

Photos of the brown hare

Brown hare, photo 1
Photo: Hans Hillewaert, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Brown hare, photo 2
Photo: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Brown hare, photo 3
Photo: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Out and about

How to spot one

Scan open fields with binoculars early in the morning, especially in March before the crops are tall. Look for black-tipped ears above the grass.

Lend a hand

How to help

Keep dogs on leads on farmland in spring, and support farms that leave rough field margins and uncut corners.

Keep going

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