Succulent herbaceous materials, buds, bark, fruit, seeds, and foliage of woody plants are the mainstay of the cottontail rabbit. Tunnel holes, briar patches, and brush piles are needed for escape cover. Nests are usually in grass or herbaceous cover. Interspersion of cover types, or small areas in close proximity, is ideal for rabbits. Cottontails are a food source for many mammalian and avian predators.
Cottontails can generally withstand heavy predation if suitable habitat and cover is present.
Nests are dug in the ground and lined with grass and loose fur. The female rabbit, or doe typically has 2 or 3 litters per season with 3-8 rabbits per litter. After brooding, the nest is abandoned. Although open water may be readily used, it is not a necessary element of their habitat. The home range of female cottontails is about 20 acres during breeding season and 15 acres in fall and winter.