The coyote, Canis latrans, is a recognizable carnivore native to North America whose range has expanded dramatically in recent decades. This resilient species, known for its opportunistic behavior, now occupies diverse landscapes, from remote wilderness to dense city centers. The increasing frequency of sightings in suburban and urban areas often leads to the mistaken belief that the animal must be threatened or endangered. Understanding the coyote’s true ecological status requires looking beyond individual encounters to the species’ overall population health.
Current Conservation Status
Despite their widespread presence, coyotes are not considered an imperiled species at the continental level. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List classifies the coyote as a species of “Least Concern.” This designation indicates that the animal is widespread, abundant, and its populations are currently stable or increasing.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which manages the Endangered Species Act, does not list the coyote as threatened or endangered. This status is a testament to the animal’s ability to adapt to environments modified by human activity. In 2017, the Service declined a petition to list the coyote based on a “similarity of appearance” to the endangered Mexican wolf, confirming the species is not subject to special protections.
Biological Keys to Coyote Success
The coyote’s flourishing population is rooted in biological and behavioral traits that allow it to exploit virtually any ecological niche. Extreme dietary flexibility is a defining characteristic, allowing it to survive where more specialized predators cannot. Coyotes are omnivorous, consuming food items ranging from rodents, rabbits, and insects to fruits, berries, carrion, and human-associated food waste.
This opportunistic feeding strategy is paired with incredible habitat adaptability, allowing them to thrive in deserts, mountains, forests, and major cities. Urban coyotes have demonstrated phenotypic plasticity, meaning they can alter their physical and behavioral characteristics in response to environmental pressures. Their digestive systems have adapted to process human foods, which contributes to their success where other carnivores struggle.
A further mechanism ensuring their persistence is compensatory reproduction. When populations are significantly reduced by trapping or culling, the remaining females respond by producing larger litter sizes and achieving higher pup survival rates. This culling often disrupts the established social structure, which typically limits breeding to a single dominant pair. This allows more females in the pack to reproduce, quickly nullifying lethal control efforts.
Managing Coyote Presence in Urban Environments
The biological success of the coyote has led to a significant expansion of its range, now occupying nearly all of North America. This thriving alongside humans (synanthropy) results in increased human-coyote interactions, particularly in suburban and urban green spaces. Management efforts focus not on eradication, but on promoting coexistence through behavioral modification.
One of the most effective strategies for minimizing conflict is eliminating accessible food sources that attract the animals into residential areas. Securing garbage cans, removing pet food and water bowls left outdoors, and picking up fallen fruit can discourage coyotes from approaching homes. These actions prevent coyotes from associating human environments with reliable, easy meals.
When a coyote becomes habituated—losing its natural fear of people—hazing techniques are utilized to re-instill wariness. Hazing involves using negative stimuli, such as shouting, waving arms, stomping feet, or throwing small objects in the animal’s direction. The goal is to make the coyote uncomfortable and encourage it to generalize the experience, leading it to actively avoid human contact and residential areas.