Where It All Began
Coyotes (Canis latrans) have always been opportunists, but their original diet was far more constrained. Millennia ago, across the American Southwest and Great Plains, they feasted on rodents, rabbits, and the occasional deer fawn—foods that required little innovation. Their success lay in their ability to exploit niches left by larger predators like wolves and mountain lions. When Europeans arrived, coyotes faced new threats: bounties, habitat destruction, and the introduction of livestock that turned them into pests. Yet even then, what will coyotes eat remained rooted in the wild. They ate insects, fruits, and carrion when game was scarce, but their core diet stayed tied to the land’s natural rhythms. The shift began subtly. By the early 20th century, coyotes had already expanded their range eastward, but their diets hadn’t changed dramatically—until humans did. The first recorded cases of coyotes preying on domestic poultry date back to the 1930s, but these were isolated incidents. What transformed their eating habits wasn’t just the food itself, but the access. As rural areas gave way to suburbs, coyotes found themselves with fewer wolves to fear and more trash cans to raid. The question of what will coyotes eat stopped being academic; it became a matter of urban coexistence.The Early Signs
The turning point wasn’t a single event but a slow unraveling of natural boundaries. In the 1950s, coyotes in California’s Central Valley started targeting young livestock—calves and lambs—with alarming frequency. Farmers blamed coyotes for losses that would have once been attributed to wolves or bears. Meanwhile, in the Northeast, coyotes were spotted near dumps, their coats sleek despite the absence of traditional prey. Scientists noted that these urban-adapted coyotes were larger, bolder, and less afraid of humans. Their diets had expanded to include eggs, pet food, and even the occasional bird from a backyard feeder. What will coyotes eat in these new environments? The answer revealed a creature far more adaptable than its reputation suggested. Studies from the 1970s showed that coyotes in suburban Los Angeles consumed 30% human-related food—a figure that would only rise. By the 1980s, they’d added roadkill to their menu, their howls echoing through cities where wolves had long since vanished. The coyote wasn’t just surviving; it was rewriting the rules of its own ecology.The Turning Point
The moment coyotes became a symbol of urban wildlife was 1995, when a coyote named "The Coyote of Central Park" became an unlikely local celebrity. Photographs of it trotting through Manhattan’s green spaces made headlines, but the real story was what will coyotes eat in a place with no natural prey. The answer: almost anything. Park rangers found evidence of squirrels, pigeons, and even the occasional discarded hot dog. The coyote’s presence forced New Yorkers to confront a harsh truth: their cities had become extensions of the wild, and coyotes were the first to exploit that. What changed wasn’t just the food—it was the psychology. Coyotes that once fled human contact now patrolled sidewalks at dawn, their ears twitching for the rustle of a trash bag. Their diets had become a mirror of human wastefulness. Where wolves and mountain lions had kept coyote populations in check, human development had removed those predators, leaving coyotes to fill the void. The question of what will coyotes eat was no longer about biology; it was about power."We didn’t domesticate the coyote. The coyote domesticated us." — Wildlife biologist Stanley Gehrt, Indiana University
The Build-Up, Year by Year
| Period | What Happened / What Changed |
|---|---|
| 1960s–1970s | Coyotes in the Southwest begin targeting livestock with increased frequency, leading to state-sponsored bounties. Urban sightings rise as suburbs expand into former farmland. |
| 1980s–1990s | First documented cases of coyotes preying on domestic pets (cats, small dogs) in suburban areas. Studies confirm 20–40% of their diet comes from human-related sources. |
| 2000s–Present | Coyotes establish year-round populations in cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, and Toronto. Their diets now include roadkill, compost bins, and even human food waste in some cases. |
Lessons From the Journey
- Adaptability over specialization: Coyotes thrive because they don’t rely on one food source. What will coyotes eat today might be roadkill tomorrow, and a stolen pizza crust the next.
- Urbanization as an evolutionary accelerator: In just 50 years, coyotes have gone from feared pests to ecological engineers, shaping cities in ways no one predicted.
- The cost of human convenience: Every unsecured trash bin or pet bowl left outside is a lesson in how quickly wildlife exploits our mistakes.
- Predator resilience: Unlike species that went extinct due to habitat loss, coyotes turned the tables—proving that some predators don’t just survive change, they weaponize it.
Where Things Stand Today
Today, coyotes are the ultimate generalists. In Phoenix, they’ve been recorded eating over 300 species, from prickly pear cactus to the occasional house cat. In Portland, they’ve learned to open car doors for uneaten fast food. What will coyotes eat in 2024? The answer is simpler than ever: whatever humans leave unguarded. Their success has made them both feared and revered—seen as either a nuisance or a living testament to nature’s flexibility. The irony is that coyotes don’t just eat our waste; they’re rewriting the rules of urban ecosystems. In some cities, they’ve replaced foxes as the top predator, their howls replacing the silence of vanished wolves. Their diets now include invasive species like rats and feral cats, acting as a natural (if unintended) form of pest control. Yet for every benefit, there’s a cost: the cats they kill, the small dogs they drag into hedges, the way they’ve forced homeowners to rethink their backyards.
Conclusion
The story of what will coyotes eat is more than a list of foods—it’s a case study in how wildlife adapts when humans reshape the world. Coyotes didn’t evolve to live in cities; they learned. And in doing so, they’ve exposed a uncomfortable truth: our urban landscapes are no longer separate from the wild. They’re just another habitat, and coyotes are its most successful inhabitants. The next time you leave a trash bin open or forget to latch the gate, remember this: you’re not just feeding a coyote. You’re feeding an idea—that nature doesn’t need to be tamed, only understood.Comprehensive FAQs
Q: Can coyotes really eat anything?
Almost. While they prefer meat, coyotes have been documented eating fruits, vegetables, grains, and even human food waste. Their digestive systems are remarkably flexible, allowing them to process foods most predators would reject.
Q: Do coyotes prefer hunting or scavenging?
It depends on the environment. In rural areas, they hunt 70–90% of their diet. In cities, scavenging can account for up to 50%, especially in winter when natural prey is scarce.
Q: Are coyotes dangerous to pets?
Yes, but the risk is often overstated. Attacks on dogs are more common than on cats, and most incidents involve small, unsupervised pets. Larger dogs are rarely targeted unless the coyote is desperate.
Q: How do coyotes learn to eat human food?
Through observation and trial-and-error. Young coyotes watch adults raid trash bins or steal pet food, then mimic the behavior. Urban coyotes are also more likely to associate humans with food, reducing their natural wariness.
Q: What’s the most unusual thing a coyote has eaten?
Records include plastic bags (mistaken for prey), toilet paper rolls, and even a child’s toy (likely out of curiosity). However, the most documented oddity is roadkill from high-speed collisions, which coyotes will eat despite the risk of injury.
Q: Can coyotes survive on a diet of garbage alone?
No—not long-term. While they can subsist on human waste for months, a diet of less than 30% natural food leads to malnutrition, reduced reproduction, and higher mortality rates. Pure scavenging is a survival tactic, not a lifestyle.
Q: Do coyotes eat other coyotes?
Rarely, but it happens. In times of extreme food scarcity, coyotes may kill and eat pups or weakened adults. Cannibalism is more common in captive or starving populations than in the wild.
Q: How does climate change affect what will coyotes eat?
Droughts reduce natural prey populations, pushing coyotes toward human food sources faster. Warmer winters also mean more roadkill, while shifting ecosystems create new opportunities—like coyotes preying on invasive species that thrive in changing climates.
