Conservation Status:Common but has undergone a substantial decline the brown hare is a priority Species listed in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan.
Hertfordshire:Found mainly in the farmland areas to the north and east of the county. A lower number of hares/site has been observed compared to previous years.
Protection: As a game species they have limited protection through the Ground Game Act (1880) and the Hare Protection Act (1911). They may not be offered for sale between 1 March and 31st July. Otherwise, they are unprotected.
General Information: Most commonly found in agricultural areas. They spend most of the day lying in a shallow depression in the ground, moving out to feed in the open field at night. They mainly feed on grass shoots including cereal crops at the early stages of growth. Breeding occurs between February and September and March is a good time of year to observe hares chasing and boxing each other.
Threats: Hares have declined due to changes in farming practice and loss of habitat diversity in the agricultural landscape. Grassland areas have been converted to arable and there have been changes in planting and cropping regimes with a move from hay to silage and autumn planting of cereals.
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