Irish Hare

The Irish hare is a medium sized plant-eater (herbivore), measuring up to 50cm long, and weighing approximately 3-4 kg. It has a russet brown coat, long ears with black tips and eyes set high in the head, giving the hare a wide field of view. With its powerful back legs, an Irish hare may reach speeds of up to 30 miles per hour and jump as high as 2m.

It is considerably bigger than the rabbit and can easily be distinguished by its loping run, as opposed to the furious headlong dash of the rabbit. Also, a rabbit lacks the black ear tips of the hare.

Ecology and habitat

Irish hares feed mainly on a variety of grasses, sometimes eating heather, bilberry (or ‘blaeberry’) and even seaweed where they live near the coast. They feed mostly at night, resting during daylight hours in a scraped or nibbled hollow called a ‘form’. It is not unusual for large groups of hares to congregate in favourite feeding areas with good cover.

The Irish hare is found across Northern Ireland from seashore to hilltop, mainly in open country. It occupies many different habitats: blanket bog, silage field, golf course and airfield to name just a few. Whilst still a common farmland species, the hare is thought to have suffered as a result of agricultural intensification.

So why does it occur in silage fields? The long grass allows the hare to lie low and avoid predators such as foxes, and the lush sward provides the hare with nutritious feeding. However, young hares (known as leverets) may be vulnerable when it comes to the silage cut, standing little chance against enormous tractor- mounted blades.

Recent research has revealed that the most important requirement for hares is a ‘patchwork quilt’ type landscape with a variety of habitats in a small area – so hares and silage fields can mix as long as this habitat is scattered between unfarmed wet or marshy patches, pockets of woodland or rushy ground, and efforts are made to minimise disturbance and harm from farm machinery. Cutting hay or silage, for example, could be done from the inside of the field outwards to improve the hares' chances of escape.

Mad March Hares

Hares are well known for their peculiar and comical boxing behaviour in early spring. Female hares do the boxing, as a way of fending off enthusiastic males looking for a mate. This spectacle is a sure sign that spring has arrived. Keep an eye out at Belfast International Airport next time you're jetting off - the airport's most famous residents are often seen casually lounging in the long stay car park.

The Irish hare Species Action Plan Steering Group

The Ulster Wildlife Trust is the lead partner in the delivery of conservation action for the Irish hare and chair this working group, established in 2001. This group was one of the first of its kind, enabling stakeholders from a range of sectors – nature conservation, agriculture, scientific research and field sports – to combine their expertise and influence for the benefit of hare conservation in Northern Ireland.

Read more about the work of the Irish hare group

Irish hare population

It was anecdotal reports of serious declines in local hare populations in the mid 1990s that prompted a series of hare surveys to be carried out, part of the body of research carried out by Quercus (QUB research facility). Recent surveys suggest that numbers have fluctuated considerably during the last decade with estimated density ranging from one to five animals per kilometre square. There has been no overall trend in hare numbers over the last decade, which may suggest that any long-term decline has stabilised.The lack of a clear trend, and the fact that hare populations fluctuate naturally, makes it difficult to draw conclusions on the status of the Irish hare.

The survey work has certainly given us a good baseline with which we can compare future hare populations, and will help in setting realistic and meaningful targets when the Species Action Plan comes under review.

Threats to the Irish hare

Loss of refuge areas - safe places for hares to lie up during the day, such as rushy field corners - and the homogenisation of the landscape
Habitat fragmentation
Farm machinery and agricultural harvesting techniques may cause death or injury, especially to leverets.
Unsustainable or illegal taking of hares for sporting purposes
Competition and potential hybridisation with the introduced European or 'brown' hare. Click here for more information.

What can I do?

An advisory leaflet to landowners or land managers will be available soon with tips for providing and maintaining good hare habitat. This is being produced by the Irish hare Species Action Plan steering group.

Farmers should contact their local DARD Countryside Management Branch for advice on agri-environment options that should benefit the Irish hare - specifically, the 'delayed cutting and grazing' option,

Report any sightings of European hares to your local biodiversity officer or directly to the Centre for Environmental Data and Recording (CEDaR) by email on cedar.info@nmni.com or by telephone on 028 9039 5256. Click here for help with distinguishing between the hare species.

Adhere to the legislation at all times with regards hunting/ coursing. There is a Special Protection Order for the Irish Hare currently in place until the end of March 2009, which prohibits the taking or killing of hares. This order overrides the level of protection given to the hare under the Wildlife (NI) Order 1985, which lists it as a quarry species.

Useful links

Quercus (QUB Research facility)
Irish hare Species Action Plan (Northern Ireland) 2001
All Ireland Species Action Plan 2005