The Easter bilby is the Australian Easter symbol that often replaces the rabbit because rabbits are invasive pests there.
The bilby is a long-eared Australian marsupial, and the greater bilby is the species most closely associated with the Easter campaign. Conservation groups and Australian businesses promoted the Easter bilby as a native alternative to the imported Easter Bunny while raising awareness of habitat loss and introduced predators.
Rabbits were introduced to Australia in the nineteenth century and became a major agricultural and ecological pest. The bilby, by contrast, is threatened and has disappeared from much of its former range.
Easter bilby products, especially chocolate bilbies, support conservation messaging and fundraising. The symbol does not mean every Australian family rejects the rabbit; both images are used. The bilby campaign is distinctive because it links an Easter gift tradition with protection of native wildlife.