What Do Coyotes Eat? Coyote Diet in the Wild and in Cities

The main foods of wild coyotes

Across most of North America, small mammals form the core of the coyote diet. Studies of coyote droppings (scats) and stomach contents repeatedly find voles, mice, pocket gophers, ground squirrels, prairie dogs, cottontail rabbits and jackrabbits at the top of the list.

Larger animals come next. Deer appear often in coyote diets, but much of it is carrion: animals killed by vehicles, winter starvation, hunters or other predators. Coyotes also feed on elk, pronghorn and bison carcasses in the West.

The menu is long. Coyotes eat birds and eggs, snakes, lizards, frogs, fish, crayfish and large insects such as grasshoppers and beetles. In Death Valley, they have been seen feeding on caterpillars and beetles in spring, and on the California coast some eat marine foods washed up on beaches.

How coyotes hunt

Most prey is caught by a single coyote. To catch a mouse or vole, a coyote stands still, listens and watches the grass or snow, then leaps high and comes down with its front paws pinning the prey. This “mousing” pounce is one of the most familiar sights in open country in winter.

Ground squirrels and rabbits are chased or ambushed near their burrows. For larger prey such as deer, coyotes may hunt in pairs or family groups, taking turns in a chase or driving the animal toward a hidden partner. Deep, crusted snow helps them, because deer break through while lighter coyotes run on top.

Coyotes cache, or bury, extra food and return to it later. In some areas they even hunt alongside American badgers: the badger digs into burrows while the coyote waits to grab anything that escapes, and both animals seem to benefit.

How the coyote diet changes with the seasons

The diet shifts through the year:

• Winter: carrion, especially deer, becomes very important, along with rodents caught under the snow.
• Spring: rodents and rabbits are abundant, and coyotes need extra food for nursing pups.
• Early summer: many coyotes focus on newborn deer fawns, which hide in tall grass during their first weeks.
• Late summer and fall: fruit, berries and insects can make up a large share of the diet. Scats full of seeds are common at this time.

What do urban coyotes eat?

People often assume city coyotes live on garbage and pets, but research shows a more varied picture. In the Chicago area, long-term studies found that urban coyotes ate mainly rodents, rabbits, deer and fruit, with human food making up only a small part of the diet. Pets were rarely detected.

Studies in Southern California, by contrast, have found more human-linked food in urban coyote scats, including garbage, ornamental fruit and domestic cats. The difference seems to depend on how much natural prey and open space a city offers, and on how much food people leave out.

Easy food is a problem for coyotes as well as people. Pet food, unsecured trash, fallen fruit and spilled birdseed attract rodents and coyotes into yards, and coyotes that are fed regularly lose their fear of humans. This link between feeding and conflict is explained in are coyotes dangerous?

Coyotes, livestock and other predators

Coyotes kill sheep, goats, calves and poultry, especially lambs and kids on open range, and they are the most common livestock predator in western North America. Ranchers use guard dogs, fencing and night pens to reduce losses.

Coyotes also eat other carnivores’ leftovers and sometimes kill smaller competitors such as gray foxes. In turn, larger predators shape what coyotes can eat. Where gray wolves are present, coyotes scavenge wolf kills but risk being chased or killed at the carcass.

Why coyotes matter as predators

By eating huge numbers of mice, voles, ground squirrels and rabbits, coyotes help keep these fast-breeding animals in check, which farmers often appreciate. Their effect on deer is more mixed: in parts of the Southeast, studies have found that coyotes take a large share of fawns, while in other regions their impact on deer numbers is small.

Coyote diet compared with wolves and foxes

Coyotes sit between wolves and foxes. Wolves are specialists in large hoofed animals such as elk, moose and deer, while foxes concentrate on small rodents, rabbits and fruit. Coyotes do both, which is a big reason why they have thrived across the continent. For a close look at their smaller cousin, see what do foxes eat?