Public Domain Bunny Pictures for Easter

(Source: Pixabay)
Searching for the Easter bunny? Pictures of snuggly cuddly rabbits are hopping and bouncing all over the internet and as spring and Easter draw near the need for cute bunny images increase. 

Fortunately there are many online websites where you can go to find free photos of cute little bunnies for your personal or commercial use. Furry soft, little noses twitching, and little powder puff tails a flickering, furry little creatures are curiously peeking out from computer screens all around the globe. If for some reason these bunny images have not found their way your direction and you are wondering where to find these sometimes elusive animals, well I am here to point you in the right direction. These pictures are copyright free.

Pixabay is one of my favourite free image websites: I am impressed with every visit by the high quality photographic images at Pixabay.com it truly is an amazing website for acquiring photos to in website creation. Most of these images are donated to the public domain so are available for both personal and commercial use. Just be sure to check the accreditation to insure this standard applies to each photo you use.

The top row of pictures generally consists of "for sale" images but beneath that first row you will find an exceptionally wide variety of photographs free for your personal or commercial use. There are a number of image sizes available to download. Create a free account and you are good to go. I would rank Pixabay as a five star website.

(Source: Jack Rabbit: US Fish and Wildlife Digital Library)
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Digital Image Library: This is a wonderful site for animal pictures US Fish and Wildlife Digital Image LibraryThis government branch has gathered together hundreds of animal photos and images. Most images have been placed into a public domain library that is open to everyone and the use of these images is completely free of charge. They sometimes do ask that you provide a credit link back to their library but this is pretty much the customary thing to do. One should always give credit where credit is due.

The Bunny's Association with Easter

(Source: Pixabay)
Rabbits are famous for their abundant litters of young and as such are an ancient symbol of fertility often associated with spring and rebirth. Eggs are also a symbol of fertility which is why it is believed these two symbols sometimes intertwine with one another. 

It was far back in ancient days where our modern day Easter Bunny Rabbit traditions actually originated. This holiday tradition began within religious ceremonies in Germany and originally it was an Easter hare who came bearing gifts of eggs. The hare would appear during Eastertide to reward good children with gifts of eggs and sweets. Because many Christians and Catholics fasted during Lent their body would need revitalization once the fast ended. The protein and nutrient rich egg was consumed in abundance once this period ended. Thus the reasoning for this springtime gift of eggs.

The Reason Why a Hare and Eggs are Easter Traditions



The Wikimedia Commons is an excellent resource for public domain pictures. They feature many high quality art images that are copyright free for personal or commercial use.

Just be sure to check the copyright statement for the images at Wikimedia as not all pictures here are in the public domain. Some of the pictures require credit to be given to the photographer or artist.

To narrow my search down I generally will type in "Rabbit public domain" or "bunny public domain" in the Wikimedia Commons search box. This helps to insure that I am more likely to pick up copyright free images in my search. I then check the copyright notice to insure that it is a photograph which I am able to use without accreditation, then I right click the picture and save it to my computer.

In case you were curious on why these furry little creatures can go by different names here is a little bit of bunny trivia. rabbits are classified as mammals in the family of Leporidae. Although hares and rabbits belong to similar classes of animals there is actually quite a difference between the two. Hares are generally much larger and have longer ears than a rabbit does. Baby hares at birth have a much earlier advantage in life. They are born covered in fur with their eyes fully able to see. They are also able to run the moment they are born. In comparison baby rabbits are born bald, sightless, and are physically very vulnerable for the first few days of their lives.

(Source: Karen's Whimsy)
The Karen's Whimsy website is a collection of free public domain images. These drawings and illustrations are pictures which have had their copyright expire and now exist within the public domain and are free for your use.

There is an excellent selection of Easter theme bunny pictures at Karen's Whimsy. These are public domain images but providing a link back to the website is always polite and it can also remove confusion should a DMCA issue every arise. On my last visit there I noticed that she is currently in the process of renovating and revitalizing her site but it is still open for use.

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