Coyotes of the Warwick Valley

Separating fact from myth about our wild canids By Jay Westerveld, New York Natural History Council The eastern coyote, canis latrans, has been increasing in our region for over half a century. But much myth and misinformation surrounds this mysterious creature. Part of this stems from the fact that eastern coyotes, woodland animals free of the stresses of desert or prairie life, grow larger than western coyotes, and come in many colors. The brown, open grasslands of the West offer little cover to black or red pups, who would be readily noticed by hungry golden eagles and wolves. But here in the East it’s “anyone’s game.” In New York we see red, gray, white, and pure black coyotes, the latter an eerie presence as its skulks through dark forests. Despite their appearance, these animals are essentially harmless to humans and wary of people in general. I’ve handled wild coyote pups in full view of parent dogs that turned and ran. These are, truly, American jackals. A recent news report of a fatal coyote attack on a young woman in Canada neglected to follow up on evidence that it was a coyote-wolf hybrid. No such hybrids occur in southern New York. Among the many misconceptions surrounding coyotes is that they hunt in packs. While small families may hunt together through a winter, these rarely involve more than four animals. The dissonant howling of two or three coyotes sounds like a dozen or so, which promotes the “pack” myth. I’ve watched two coyotes calling together. They sounded like ten coyotes. Coyotes rarely prey on anything half as large as themselves. They prefer to hunt mice, voles, rabbits, snakes, and insects, which are far more numerous and easier to catch than deer. I’ve watched local coyotes dig through muskrat lodges and termite mounds. If coyotes were efficient deer predators, we wouldn’t have the unnaturally high deer population that’s increased in our region over the past century. In fact, the populations of both coyotes and deer have increased together. Coyotes do, however, develop a “taste” for cats and lap dogs. I’ve found remains of both, along with collars and tags, in local coyote dens. Cats and small dogs are at risk of attack if they are allowed to roam. But rodents still make up more than 90 percent of a coyote’s food intake. “Coyote” is the Nahuatl word for ‘“half-breed.” These Indians thought the coyote to be a fox/wolf hybrid. The myth of coyotes mating with dogs to produce “coydog” hybrids lacks scientific support. Given the many color morphs of eastern coyotes, though, it’s easy to understand how someone might take a red or black coyote for half-collie. My advice to anyone who (understandably) fears coyotes is a trip to the Trailside Museum at Bear Mountain, where you can see two live, local coyotes up close. I visited last week, and, as always, these playful, caged little dogs reminded me of border collies at the pound. Despite its eerie call, the coyote remains another harmless creature doing its best to keep down the local rodent population. And they remind the humans who hear their call of the thrill that only wild things can give.