When hunting in a pack, coyotes will often hunt adult deer in the spring and fall as well. Additionally, when in an area that does not include wolves or bears, coyotes are often the highest source of fawn mortality. In the spring, coyotes hunt deer fawns more often than adult deer. It seems that coyotes prefer larger amounts of snow when hunting in the winter because the snow slows down and exhausts the deer more quickly.
In these type of winters, coyotes will often switch to a smaller prey, such as the snowshoe hare, because it is easier to track and kill. Studies have shown that coyotes are less likely to hunt deer in mild winter seasons when there is little snow. Interestingly, how often the coyote eats deer depends on the weather.
Throughout the entire year, coyotes will scavenge for deer carcasses, but they usually hunt deer mainly in the spring and in the winter. The common presence of deer hair in coyote scat indicated that the deer is one of the coyote’s most common sources of food. While the squirrel’s top speed is 20 miles per hour, the coyote can run up to 42 miles per hour, making the squirrel an easy catch. To avoid being captured by the coyote, the squirrel will either scamper up a tree or run away. Even though the squirrel is a quick climber and a fast runner, he is often an easy prey for the coyote. SquirrelsĬoyotes eat squirrels quite often. Then, the coyote will bit the snake’s head, and shake it back and forth in its mouth until the snake’s head snaps off. They will tease the snake until it stretches his neck out towards the coyote. Wondering how the coyote manages to kill and eat the snake without being bitten? The coyote will usually attack and eat a snake if it is threatening a pup or if there is limited food available to them. Some other forms of flying birds that coyotes eat include hawks (although quite rare), owls, dead birds, and bird eggs. That said, coyotes will eat birds whenever they are available to reach, which is often when the bird is lying on the ground injured or dying.Ĭoyotes do prefer larger land birds that are slower and make their nests on the ground. BirdsĬoyotes are known to eat birds, although they do not regularly hunt birds like they do land mammals because birds are not easy prey.
In urban areas, coyotes take advantage of garbage cans and trash dumps, knowing the garbage will attract mice and rats. Rats and mice make up most of the coyote’s diet in both rural and urban areas. Interestingly, scientists have found that rabbit and rodent remains make up about half of the prey items in coyote scat.Ĭoyotes benefit farmers and their crops by limiting rabbit populations. Rabbitsīeing a small mammal, rabbits are on the list of a coyote’s favorite meal. Mice are one of the coyote’s favorite animals to eat, and they make up a large majority of the coyote’s diet.Ĭoyotes eat so many rodents, mainly mice, that studies have shown a noticeable increase in rodent population when the coyote population is removed or diminished. When their main source of food is scarce, coyotes will turn to other food options including deer, livestock, poultry, garbage, and sometimes even pets (although mostly cats).īelow is a list of the coyote’s most common food sources and information on how and when the coyote eats each food source. With their normal habitat (plains, forests, and mountains), coyotes find plentiful sources of their favorite small animals. The coyote’s primary source of food (making up three-fourths of their diet) is small rodents, rabbits, squirrels, and other small mammals. Their ability to eat almost anything benefits them especially in more urban areas or harsh climates.Ī coyote’s diet is determined mainly by his location, environment, and season. Their opportunistic and scavenger nature leads them to eat almost anything they can find, meaning their diet can include any of the following: small rodents, birds, insects, fruits, berries, fish, frogs, and even large animals. What Do Coyotes Eat?Ĭoyotes are omnivores, meaning they will eat both plants and animals, although they definitely prefer meat over plants and fruits. Get the idea?Īnything that is even slightly edible is fair game for the coyote.
Being a very opportunistic animal, they will eat whatever they can find, including anything from insects to trash.įor example, the desert coyote will eat anything it can find, ranging from cactus fruit to mesquite beans to flowers, insects, rodents, lizards, snakes, and more.