The Milk Spot

From Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Roanoke

Baby Eastern Cottontail rabbits--called kits--usually have a white speck of fur on their foreheads that is sometimes called the "milk spot." This spot tends to fade as they grow, so it's understandable how it got its adorable nickname!

In reality, though, it's not a very good indicator of a Cottontail kit's developmental stage. We've received Cottontails at all life stages who still have their "milk spot," including the occasional adult! Every baby season, we get nests of orphaned Cottontail kits who have at least one sibling who lacks a white spot.

Most Cottontails lose their white spot as they reach adult size, so the oddballs who retain theirs (or never had one) are somewhat uncommon. But they're common enough that it is better to use other indicators of what life stage your neighborhood buns are at if you're concerned!

If a baby Cottontail is roughly softball-sized, its ears are perked up, and it's uninjured, then it's probably independent (21 days or older) and doing just fine on its own!