Seasonal foods of European rabbits Oryctolagus cuniculus (Linnaeus, 1758) were studied by microhistological analysis of pellets in a protected area Bugac Juniper Forest, Hungary. Field experiments were also conducted to examine the role of rabbit foraging on common juniper Juniperus communis. The proportion of grasses, forbs and browses changed significantly throughout the seasons (p < 0.0001). Spring diet was dominated by grasses (89%), summer diet by grasses (30%) and forbs (42%), whereas in autumn grasses (60%) and browse (24%) were the main diet components. Juniper appeared only in winter diet (19%) together with other browse (60%). The high proportion of aromatic thyme Thymus glabrescens in summer diet (30%) and juniper in winter diet indicates that monoterpenoids of these plants did not keep rabbits from consumption even when other food sources were available. Planted juniper seedlings disappeared within weeks due to the browsing by rabbits.
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