Granddad’s Camera
Brown hare, as it appears in the game

No.018 · Mammals · Uncommon

Brown hare

Lepus europaeus

Longer-legged and lankier than a rabbit, with black-tipped ears and amber eyes. Hares live in the open and sprint at up to 70 km/h. In March, males and females 'box'.

When to look

All year, mostly at dawn, dusk and night.

Time of day

Best time
Dawn and dusk; boxing hares most in February–April, in short crops.
Where in the game
Millbrook (farmland and park) and the Norfolk Broads (grazing marsh and dunes)
Size
Head and body about 48–70 cm; ears about as long as the head
Weight
Typically 3–4 kg (2–5 kg)
Lifespan
Typically 2–3 years; the oldest known wild hare was 12.5 years (PTES)
Population
About 579,000 in Great Britain (PTES)
Status
Non-native (introduced by Roman times or earlier); not applicable on the British Red List (Mammal Society)

Diet

Grass, herbs, crop shoots, and in winter bark and twigs.

Habitat

Open arable fields, grassland and grazing marsh; lies up by day in a shallow 'form'.

Breeding

Breeds mainly February–September, with up to four litters of 2–4 leverets; leverets are born fully furred with eyes open, in a form on the surface, not a burrow, and the mother visits them mostly at dusk.

Field signs

  • Oval flattened 'form' in grass or plough
  • Long, narrow tracks with the hind feet ahead of the front feet
  • Ears with black tips; longer stride than a rabbit

Did you know?

  • 'Boxing' is usually a female fending off an unwanted male, not two males fighting.
  • A brown hare can sprint about 70 km/h and doubles back to shake off predators.
  • Brown hares are not native: they were introduced in Roman times or earlier, and numbers have fallen this century (Mammal Society).

Moments worth waiting for

  • Boxing hares February to April, dawn, day and dusk
    Two hares rear up and box, fur flying, in the March sunshine.
  • Leveret in the form April to August, dusk
    A leveret lies flat in the grass, eyes wide open, while its mother watches from afar.

Photo tip

Watch a field edge at dawn from a car or a parked position; a hare will often pass close. Long lens, low angle, crouched still; do not chase.

Be a good naturalist

Never disturb a form and keep dogs on leads; report hare coursing to the police (999 if in progress). Avoid fields at leveret time (spring).

The law

Hare coursing is illegal (Hunting Act 2004 in England and Wales); selling or offering hares for sale is banned from March to July across Great Britain (Hares Preservation Act 1892); hares are game animals with little other protection, and the Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996 prevents cruelty.

Checked against