Montana Field Guide

Help

Montana Field Guides

Home - Other Field Guides
- Kingdom - Animals - Animalia
  - Phylum - Vertebrates - Craniata
    - Class - Mammals - Mammalia
      - Order - Rabbits / Hares - Lagomorpha
        
        Family - Pikas - Ochotonidae
        
        Species - American Pika - Ochotona princeps

American Pika - Ochotona princeps

Native Species

Global Rank: G5
State Rank: S5
(see State Rank Reason below)

Agency Status
USFWS:
USFS:
BLM:

External Links

Listen to an Audio Sample

State Rank Reason (see State Rank above)

Although the species faces long-term threats related to habitat loss due to a warming climate, it is currently secure and common within suitable habitat over the next few decades.

American Pika (Ochotona princeps) Conservation Status Summary
State Rank: S5
Review Date = 12/20/2023
See the complete Conservation Status Rank Report

How we calculate Conservation Status Ranks

General Description

We do not yet have descriptive information on this species. Please try the buttons above to search for information from other sources.

Species Range

Montana Range Range Descriptions

Native

Observations in Montana Natural Heritage Program Database

Number of Observations: 1837

(Click on the following maps and charts to see full sized version) Map Help and Descriptions

Relative Density

Recency

(Observations spanning multiple months or years are excluded from time charts)

Migration

Non-migratory.

Habitat

Talus slides, boulder fields, rock rubble (with interstitial spaces adequate for habitation) near meadows. Usually at high elevation but mid-elevation possible if suitable rock cover and food plants present (Hoffmann and Pattie 1968).

National Vegetation Classification System Groups Associated with this Species

Alpine

Alpine - Sparse and Barren

Alpine Bedrock and Scree

Alpine - Vegetated

Alpine Dwarf-Shrubland and Krummholz

Alpine Turf and Fellfield

Forest and Woodland

Deciduous Forest and Woodland

Rocky Mountain Aspen Forest and Woodland

Montane - Subalpine Forest and Woodland

Cedar - Hemlock Forest

Dry Spruce-fir Forest

Interior PNW Douglas-fir Forest and Woodland

Lodgepole Pine Forest

Mesic Spruce-fir Forest

Montane Mesic Coniferous (Grand Fir - Douglas-fir - Western Larch) Forest

Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir Forest

Whitebark Pine - Subalpine Larch Forest and Woodland

Shrubland

Foothills - Montane Shrubland

Montane - Subalpine Mesic Shrubland

Sagebrush Shrubland

Basin and Wyoming Big (Threetip) Sagebrush Shrubland

Mountain Big Sagebrush Shrubland

Grassland

Lowland - Prairie Grassland

Rocky Mountain Low Elevation - Dry Grassland

Montane - Subalpine Grassland

Montane - Subalpine Dry Grassland

Montane - Subalpine Mesic Grassland and Meadow

Wetland and Riparian

Alpine Riparian and Wetland

Alpine - Subalpine Herbaceous and Dwarf-Shrub Riparian and Wetland

Wet Meadow and Marsh

Montane Wet Meadow and Marsh

Food Habits

Animals feed on hay individually. In Glacier National Park hay piles stored under rocks (Barash 1973). Uses haystack during winter. Will reingest feces (Chapman 1979).

Ecology

Socially intolerant and territorial. Intraspecific intolerance increases steadily following mating in late spring, is highest in late summer (Barash 1973). Makes alarm and territorial vocalizations.

Reproductive Characteristics

Peak of breeding season is May and June. All yearling and adult females have reproductive potential for 1 to 2 litter/season. Young begin to be weaned at 12 days (Banfield 1974).

Stewardship Responsibility

References

Literature Cited AboveLegend: View Online Publication
- Barash, D.P. 1973. Territorial and foraging behavior of pika (Ochotona princeps) in Montana. American Midland Naturalist 89:202-207.
- Chapman, J.A. 1979. Rabbits, hares, and pikas. Pp. 81-97 in: Grosvenor, G. M. (ed). Wild animals of North America. National Geographic Society, Washington. 406 pp.
- Hoffmann, R.S. and D.L. Pattie. 1968. A guide to Montana mammals: identification, habitat, distribution, and abundance. Missoula, MT: University of Montana. 133 p.
Additional ReferencesLegend: View Online Publication
Do you know of a citation we're missing?
- Adelman, E.B. 1979. A survey of the nongame mammals in the Upper Rattlesnake Creek drainage of western Montana. M.S. thesis. University of Montana, Missoula. 129 pp.
- Barash, D.P. 1973. Habitat utilization in three species of subalpine mammals. Journal of Mammalogy. 54(1): 247-250.
- Beak Consultants, Inc. 1983. Wildlife. January 1983. In Stillwater Project Environmental Studies. Addendum A, Wildlife. Vol. I. Tech. Report No. 7. 1982.
- Broadbooks, H.E. 1965. Ecology and Distribution of the Pikas of Washington and Alaska. Amer. Mid. Nat. 73(2)-299-335.
- Buck, C.L. 1939. Pattern correlation of mammalian teeth as a means of identification. M.Sc. Thesis. Bozeman, Montana: Montana State University. 55 p.
- Chapman, J.A. and Flux, J.E.C. 1990. Rabbits, hares and pikas, status survey and conservation action plan. IUCN/SSC Lagomorph Specialist Group.
- Dice, L.R. 1923. Mammal associations and habitats of the Flathead Lake Region, Montana. Ecology 4(3): 247-260.
- Eng, R.L. 1976. Wildlife Baseline Study [for West Fork of the Stillwater and Picket Pin drainages]
- Fikkan, P., J. Fikkan, J. Collier, and R. Kresek. 1973. Some observations of a Fisher at close range. The Murrelet 54(2):22
- Foresman, K.R. 2001. The wild mammals of Montana. American Society of Mammalogists, Special Publication Number 12. Lawrence, KS. 278 pp.
- Foresman, K.R. 2012. Mammals of Montana. Second edition. Mountain Press Publishing, Missoula, Montana. 429 pp.
- Heath, M.L. 1973. Small mammal populations in clearcuts of various ages in south central Montana. M.Sc. Thesis. Bozeman, Montana: Montana State University. 33 p.
- Hoffmann, R.S., P.L. Wright, and F.E. Newby. 1969. The distribution of some mammals in Montana. I. Mammals other than bats. Journal of Mammalogy 50(3): 579-604.
- Jellison, W. L. 1947. An undetermined parasite in the lungs of a rock rabbit, Ochotona princeps richardson (Lagomorphia: ochotonidae). Proc. Helminthological Soc. of Washington. 14:75-77.
- Joslin, Gayle, and Heidi B. Youmans. 1999. Effects of recreation on Rocky Mountain wildlife: a review for Montana. [Montana]: Montana Chapter of the Wildlife Society.
- Klaus, M. 1997. Dispersal of Microtus richardsoni in the Beartooth Mountains of Montana and Wyoming. Ph.D. Dissertation. Bozeman, MT: Montana State University. 56 p.
- Martin, K. 1943 The Colorado Pika. J. Mammal. 24:394-396.
- Maxell, B.A. 2016. Northern Goshawk surveys on the Beartooth, Ashland, and Sioux Districts of the Custer-Gallatin National Forest: 2012-2014. Montana Natural Heritage Program. Helena, MT. 114pp.
- Moore, R.L.K. 1987. Daily and seasonal activity patterns of the Pika in Southwestern Montana. M.Sc. Thesis. Bozeman, MT: Montana State University. 61 p.
- OEA Research, Helena, MT., 1982, Beal Mine Wildlife Report. June 17, 1982.
- Oechsli, L.M. 2000. Ex-urban development in the Rocky Mountain West: consequences for native vegetation, wildlife diversity, and land-use planning in Big Sky, Montana. M.Sc. Thesis. Montana State University, Bozeman. 73 p.
- Pattie, D.L. and N.A. M. Verbeek. 1967. Alpine mammals of the Beartooth Plateau. Northwest Science 41(3): 110-117.
- Pruitt, W.O. Jr. 1954. Notes on Colorado Phenacomys and pika. J. Mammal. 35:450-452.
- Ray, Chris. 2006. 2006 Project Report: Testing hypothesized links between climate change and the decline of the American Pika. University of Colorado, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, UCB 334, Boulder, CO 80309-0334, cray@colorado.edu , 303-735-1495.
- Reichel, J.D. 1986. Habitat use by alpine mammals in the Pacific Northwest. Arctic and Alpine Research. 18(1): 111-119.
- Reid, F. 2006. Peterson Field Guide to Mammals of North America, 4th Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company: Boston and New York, 608 pp.
- Rust, H. J. 1946. Mammals of northern Idaho. J. Mammal. 27(4): 308-327.
- Smith, A.T. 1974. The distribution and dispersal of pikas - influences of behavior and climate. Ecology 55(6): 1368-1376.
- Smith, A.T., and M.L. Weston. 1990. Ochotona princeps. Mamm. Species 352:1-8.
- Southwick, C.H., S.C. Golian, M.R. Whitworth, J.C. Halfpenny, and R. Brown. 1986. Population density and fluctuations of pikas (Ochotona princeps) in Colorado. Journal of Mammalogy 67:149-153.
- Thompson, Richard W., Western Resource Dev. Corp., Boulder, CO., 1996, Wildlife baseline report for the Montana [Montanore] Project, Lincoln and Sanders counties, Montana. In Application for a Hard Rock Operating Permit and Proposed Plan of Operation, Montanore Project, Lincoln and Sanders Counties, Montana. Vol. 5. Stroiazzo, John. Noranda Minerals Corp., Libby, MT. Revised September 1996.
- Tyser, R.W. 1980. Use of substrate for surveillance behaviors in a community of talus slope mammals. The American Midland Naturalist 104(1): 32-38.
- Tyser, Robin W. 1978. Foraging and substrate use patterns in talus slope mammals. PhD Dissertation. University of Wisconsin-Madison. 142pp.
- Wiseley, A.N. 1973. Patterns of variation in populations of the pika (Ochotona princeps). M.S. thesis. University of Montana, Missoula 107 pp.
Web Search Engines for Articles on "American Pika"
Additional Sources of Information Related to "Mammals"

Take us with you!

Look for this PDF icon as you search and browse. Click it to build a custom PDF with species shown on that page or for all the species within that taxonomic level. To create your own list of species, use the PDF Creator tool at the bottom of the Advanced Search page.

Here's some links if you want to download a whole group.

Dragonflies / Damselflies

Ferns and allies

Conifers

Flowering Plants (Dicots)

Flowering Plants (Monocots)

Citation for data on this website:
American Pika — Ochotona princeps. Montana Field Guide. Montana Natural Heritage Program and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. Retrieved on January 1, 2026, from https://FieldGuide.mt.gov/speciesDetail.aspx?elcode=AMAEA01030