The New England cottontail uses shrubland and dense thickets in young forest. It is difficult to distinguish visually from the related eastern cottontail.
It has a stocky body, large hind feet, long ears, and a short fluffy tail. The species looks very much like the eastern cottontail; skull traits or DNA are more reliable for identification.
In spring and summer it eats tender grasses and leaves; in winter it takes buds, twigs, and bark. It mainly forages at dusk or night and stays concealed in dense brush by day.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.