Coyotes

Eastern coyotes thrive in cities, and many have established dens in parks, golf courses, and woodlots. They hunt rodents like mice, rats, and squirrels, but they also eat berries, insects, and roadkill remains. Occasionally, they’ll prey on unsupervised pets too.

 

Coyote Families

Coyotes are social animals who are strongly monogamous and usually mate for life. Their breeding season is in February, with litters of four to seven pups born in early spring. Coyote parents work cooperatively throughout the spring and summer to feed their pups and raise them to maturity. The death of one parent can jeopardize the entire family’s ability to survive.

 

Coyote or Coywolf?

Coyotes originated in the grasslands and deserts of southwestern North America. After European settlers hunted wolf populations to near extinction, coyotes expanded their range northeast, into areas that include modern-day Toronto. Along the way, coyotes interbred with isolated wolf populations, producing a hybrid subspecies commonly known as the eastern coyote, or coywolf. Since the early 1900s, these animals have expanded throughout eastern Canada. 

As a term, coywolf is controversial. Some biologists feel the name implies danger to humans and puts the animals at risk. And while eastern coyotes do have some wolf DNA, most of their genetic make-up is coyote.

 

Living with Coyotes

Eastern coyotes are naturally fearful of humans and shy away from direct contact. However, humans often attract coyotes to our spaces by leaving garbage or pet food—or pets—unattended. Coyotes rarely pose any threat to humans: attacks are uncommon, and across all North America only two people have ever been recorded as killed by a coyote. 

Coyotes are beautiful and intelligent animals, but the best way to appreciate them is from a distance. That means:

• Don’t feed them and clean up food waste. 
• Leave their dens alone.
• Make noise or throw sticks or pebbles towards them (not directly at) if they approach you.

 

Call of the Coyote

The scientific name for coyotes—Canid latrans—means “barking dog,” and it’s a fitting descriptor.If you’re awake late at night, you might be lucky enough to hear coyotes singing to one another in their high-pitched howls and yips. Contrary to popular misconception, coyotes make these noises to communicate with each other, not to celebrate a kill.

 

Coyotes in the Ecosystem

Although some people find their presence in cities controversial, eastern coyotes play a vital role in the urban ecosystem. By preying on rodents like mice and rats, they keep the populations under control and reduce the spread of animal-to-human diseases. Some coyotes target deer, whose numbers have exploded as wolf populations have plummeted. Urban coyotes consume goose eggs (and sometimes hunt adult geese), which has slowed down the increase in Canada geese numbers.