American Pikas Gather Their Own Winter Hay Beneath the Rocks

An American pika can spend the growing season gathering plants for a winter pantry. The little bundles become haypiles tucked among rocks.

The animal may look like a round-eared rodent, but it is a relative of rabbits and hares. Its winter strategy is equally easy to misread: pikas do not simply sleep until spring.

A small mammal with a seasonal task

The American pika, Ochotona princeps, is associated with rocky habitats in western North America.

The National Park Service describes the food caches that supplement winter meals. Plants collected during the warmer months can help sustain an animal when fresh growth is scarce.

A pika carrying stems is therefore doing more than making a cute picture. It is moving food toward a place where that food will be needed later.

Why rocks are part of the home

Gaps between rocks provide shelter and travel space. A talus slope is not just a pile of stones; it contains crevices with different temperatures and protection from exposed conditions.

The National Park Service’s Craters of the Moon account describes pikas using rocky habitat even in a landscape with hot summer surfaces.

This illustrates an important distinction between the air above the rocks and the conditions inside them. Local shelter can matter as much as a broad description of elevation.

Winter is active, not empty

Pikas remain active through winter, including beneath snow. Stored vegetation helps support that activity.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife notes that haypiles reflect the plants available near the rocky habitat.

Different sites therefore produce different stores. “Pikas make hay” does not mean every individual gathers an identical menu or builds a pile that looks exactly the same.

A changing climate complicates the task

National Park Service researchers study how warming affects pika habitat and the time available for gathering food. Heat can limit above-ground activity, while winter snow conditions also matter.

That makes the species an interesting subject for long-term observation rather than a simple symbol with one universal response.

A pika’s haypile connects seasons in a tangible way: a mouthful gathered in summer becomes part of a winter survival story hidden among the rocks.

Photo credits

Featured image: Mark Penninger, U.S. Forest Service - Pacific Northwest Region — Public domain.

Body image 1: sevenstar — Public domain.

Body image 2: Frédéric Dulude-de Broin — CC BY-SA 4.0.

Photographs are illustrative. Captive animals, regional landscapes, and research specimens are identified in their captions. Image adaptations retain their respective source licenses.