Resources

Coyote ecology

Coyotes (Canis latrans) are native to California. They now reside even in the densest city of the Bay Area, having returned to San Francisco beginning in the early 2000s, possibly via the Golden Gate Bridge (Sacks et al. 2006). Being omnivores, coyotes are able to eat a wide range of foods, though they will consume what is easiest for them. Coyotes often live in packs (small family groups), but may also live in pairs or individually. Within a pack, there is usually one breeding pair, with the pup-rearing season beginning in the spring (~ March) and lasting through the fall. Dispersal season begins in late summer and continues into the fall, whereby older pups or the previous years’ pups may disperse to find their own territories. Within urban spaces, coyotes often become more visible during the mating season (December-February) when they are seeking out den sites, and during the dispersal season.

Coyote behavior

Coyotes are very social and intelligent, both traits that contribute to their resilience and adaptability. These features have allowed coyotes to survive and thrive across their range (and expand their range) despite past and current persecution by people. While coyotes are typically active during the day and night, in many urban areas coyotes shift their behaviors to be more nocturnal, as is common for species living alongside people (Gaynor et al. 2019). Because they are so social, coyotes have many means of communicating with conspecifics, including scent marking, body language, and vocalizations. When you hear coyotes yipping and howling, that’s totally normal! Because of their vast range of intonations, one coyote’s vocalizations can sometimes sound like many more individuals are present. Coyotes are also very protective and devoted parents. During pup-rearing season, coyotes may “escort” people and dogs away from their dens to ensure safety for coyote pups. While it can be a little alarming, this is completely normal behavior. During pup-rearing season (~March to August), pay attention to signage that denotes coyote dens nearby and steer clear of those areas.

Coexistence

Coyotes have shown us that they aren’t going anywhere, and people must learn to coexist with them. Fortunately for us, coyotes also help us out by regulating the populations of species that sometimes serve as disease vectors, such as rodents and raccoons. The science also shows that relocating coyotes can be ineffective or even very dangerous or fatal for them, since they are highly territorial animals. It’s in our best interest to live peacefully side by side.

There are many tips and tools to help us coexist with coyotes:

1) Never feed a coyote- feeding pushes coyotes toward losing their natural wariness of us, which can be hazardous to both people and coyotes.

2) Secure attractants on your property, such as trash and compost, assuring they are wildlife-proof.

3) Use nonlethal deterrents if coyotes are approaching you unnaturally or spending a lot of time in your yard- nonlethally deterring a coyote usually entails making loud noises with your voice, pots and pans, or air horns while waving your arms and acting as big as possible. Here is a helpful video created by The Presidio Trust that demonstrates how to properly deter a coyote:

4) Keep dogs on leash if you’re not in a designated off-leash area.

5) Protect domestic animals in your yard or on your property by assuring fences are >6ft tall and extend into the ground. Consider outwardly inverting the top of the fence or installing a CoyoteRoller™.

Cultural history

The word coyote comes from the Spanish word (also coyote), which has its roots in the language of the Nahua people of Central Mexico (Nahuatl). In Nahuatl, which falls within the Uto-Aztecan group of languages, the coyote was referred to as coyotl. Many Indigenous stories across Central and North America depict the coyote as a “trickster”, though often with undertones of respect for the coyote’s wit and intelligence. One such example is Huēhuecoyōtl, an Aztec deity whose name means “very old coyote”. Huēhuecoyōtl was known as the god of music, mischief, song, and dance, as well as a prankster with benevolent tendencies. Within the Ohlone mythology, Coyote was a supreme being who was the ancestor of all humanity.

Research Publications

Caspi T, Sit E, Serrano MG, Vanderzwan SL, Smith KA, Merkle W, Campbell D, Sacks BN. 2025. Urbanisation facilitates intrapopulation dietary niche diversity in a generalist carnivore. Ecology Letters, 28(9): e70207.
Gerraty FD, Grimes S, Pemberton S, Allen SG, Codde SA. 2025. Coyotes hunt harbor seal pups on the California Coast. Ecology, 106(2): e70031.
Wilkinson CE, Quinn N, Eng C, Schell CJ. 2025. Environmental health and societal wealth predict movement patterns of an urban carnivore. Ecology Letters, 28(2): e70088.
Caspi T, Serrano MG, Vanderzwan SL, Kessler J, Schell CJ, Sacks BN. 2025. Impervious surface cover and number of restaurants shape diet variation in an urban carnivore. Ecosphere, 16: e70152.
Wilkinson CE, Caspi T, Stanton A, Campbell D, Schell CJ. 2023. Coexistence across space and time: Social-ecological patterns within a decade of human-coyote interactions in San Francisco. People and Nature, 5: 2158-2177.
Sacks BN, et al. 2021. Pleistocene origins, western ghost lineages, and the emerging phylogeographic history of the red wolf and coyote. Molecular Ecology, 30: 4292-4304.
Greer M. 2021. Coyote management in San Francisco. Master’s Capstone – USF.
Gallagher AJ, Trull PF, Faherty MS, Freidenfelds N, Heimbuch J, Cherry MJ. 2019. Predatory behaviors of coyotes (Canis latrans) living in coastal ecosystems. Ethology Ecology & Evolution, 31: 198-204.
Reilly ML, Tobler MW, Sonderegger DL, Beier P. 2017. Spatial and temporal response of wildlife to recreational activities in the San Francisco Bay ecoregion. Biological Conservation, 207: 117-126.
Larson S, McGranahan DA, Timm RM. 2016. The Marin County livestock protection program: 15 years in review. Proceedings of the 27th Vertebrate Pest Conference, pp 59-68.
Sacks BN, Bannasch DL, Chomel BB, Ernest HB. 2008. Coyotes demonstrate how habitat specialization by individuals of a generalist species can diversify populations in a heterogeneous ecoregion. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 25: 1384-1394.
Sacks BN, Ernest HB, Boydston EE. 2006. San Francisco’s Golden Gate: A bridge between historically distinct coyote (Canis latrans) populations. Western North American Naturalist, 66: 263-264.
Sacks BN. 2005. Reproduction and body condition of California coyotes (Canis latrans). Journal of Mammalogy, 86: 1036-1041.
Sacks BN, Brown SK, Ernest HB. 2004. Population structure of California coyotes corresponds to habitat-specific breaks and illuminates species history. Molecular Ecology, 13: 1265-1275.
MacDonald SAT. 2002. Coyote food habits and the relative abundance of rodents in San Mateo County. Master’s thesis – San Jose State University.
Kuenzi AJ, Lynch M, Van Vuren D, Loredo I, Morrison ML. 1998. Diets of three predators at Concord Naval Weapons Station, Contra Costa County, California. Northwestern Naturalist, 79: 64-67.

Learn more about Bay Area coyotes

Bay Area coyote research & management