CreatureData

American pika

Ochotona princeps (Richardson, 1828)

LCLeast Concernmammals

The American pika (Ochotona princeps) is a species in the family Ochotonidae, order Lagomorpha. Recorded adults weigh 121 g to 176 g and live up to 7 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

American pika (Ochotona princeps)
Photo: sevenstar · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the American pika

Weight
121 g – 176 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
7 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Herbivoresrc for Diet
Longest recorded lifespan
7.32 years
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Gestation
30.4 dayssrc for Gestation
Young per litter or clutch
3src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
11.4 monthssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
2.11src for Litters or clutches a year
Active
Day and night (cathemeral)src for Active
Lifestyle
Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the American pika live?

Not recorded

What is the American pika?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The American pika (Ochotona princeps) is a small, herbivorous mammal of the family Ochotonidae, closely related to rabbits and hares (order Lagomorpha). It is native to the mountainous regions of western North America, typically inhabiting rocky slopes and talus fields at or above the tree line. Unlike most mammals of similar size, the American pika is diurnal, being active primarily during the day. It employs two distinct foraging strategies: directly consuming vegetation or gathering and storing plant materials in "haypiles" to sustain itself through the winter months, a behavior known as haying.

Pikas are vocal animals, using a variety of calls and songs both to warn of approaching predators and during the breeding season. Predators of the American pika include eagles, hawks, coyotes, bobcats, foxes, and weasels.

Recent studies suggest that populations in the southwestern United States are declining due to habitat loss and global warming. Despite these regional declines, the American pika is overall assessed as a species of Least Concern by the IUCN and remains common in the northwestern United States and Canada.

From the Wikipedia article “American pika” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=American_pika&oldid=1382134540), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the American pika endangered?

The American pika is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the American pika classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classMammalia
  4. orderLagomorpha
  5. familyOchotonidae
  6. genusOchotona
  7. SpeciesOchotona princeps (Richardson, 1828)

Synonyms Lepus princeps

Other names and names in other languages (33)
  • ConyEnglish
  • ConyEnglish
  • Hay-makerEnglish
  • Little chief hareEnglish
  • Little chief hareEnglish
  • Mouse hareEnglish
  • North American pikaEnglish
  • Piping hareEnglish
  • Rock rabbitEnglish
  • Rock rabbitEnglish
  • Southern pikaEnglish
  • Whistling hareEnglish
  • Whistling hareEnglish
  • Amerikanischer PfeifhaseGerman
  • Αμερικανικό ΠίκαGreek
  • Pica AmericanaSpanish
  • پیکای آمریکاییPersian
  • amerikanpikaFinnish
  • Pika d'AmériqueFrench
  • פיקה אמריקאיתHebrew
  • amerikai pocoknyúlHungarian
  • アメリカナキウサギJapanese
  • Amerikinis KiškėnasLithuanian
  • PikaNorwegian Bokmål
  • Amerikansk BergpipehareNorwegian Bokmål
  • Amerikansk PikaNorwegian Bokmål
  • Noord-Amerikaanse FluithaasDutch
  • szczekuszka amerykańskaPolish
  • Pika-americanaPortuguese
  • ПикаRussian
  • Американская пищухаRussian
  • ameriška pikaSlovenian
  • 北美鼠兔Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the American pika

Other species in the same genus Ochotona.

LC, Least Concern
Ladak pika (Ochotona ladacensis)

Ladak pika

Ochotona ladacensis

Ochotonidae

LC, Least Concern
Afghan pika (Ochotona rufescens)

Afghan pika

Ochotona rufescens

Ochotonidae

CompareAmerican pika vs Ladak pikaAmerican pika vs Afghan pikaAmerican pika vs Plateau pikaAmerican pika vs Northern pika

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the American pika?

An adult American pika weighs 121 g – 176 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the American pika endangered?

The American pika is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

How long does the American pika live?

The American pika has a recorded lifespan of 7 years.

How long is the American pika pregnant?

The recorded gestation period is 30.4 days.

What kind of animal is the American pika?

The American pika (Ochotona princeps) belongs to the family Ochotonidae in the order Lagomorpha.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). American pika (Ochotona princeps). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/american-pika

MLA

“American pika (Ochotona princeps).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/american-pika.

BibTeX
@misc{american_pika_2026,
  title = {American pika (Ochotona princeps)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/american-pika},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}