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What the sources say

CoyoteCanis latrans

Every figure, record and mechanism on the Coyote profile was written from a source, and this is the working table behind it: 58 claims checked word for word against these sources. The left column is what the page says. The right column is the source's own words, copied, not paraphrased; a ... marks a cut and[brackets] an insertion. Open any source and check it yourself.

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Source
01

Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan

Canis latrans (coyote). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

The page saysForests, grasslands, deserts, swamps and mountains
The source saysCoyotes are extremely adaptable and use a wide range of habitats including forests, grasslands, deserts, and swamps.Note: mountains from ADW's Terrestrial Biomes list for the species (taiga, desert or dune, savanna or grassland, chaparral, forest, scrub forest, mountains); the current gese-patterson-2025 agrees: "diverse ecosystems from deserts to high mountains to major metropolitan areas"
The page saysplus farmland, suburbs and cities
The source saysCoyotes, because of their tolerance for human activities, also occur in suburban, agricultural, and urban settings.
The page saysits howl call, one of 3 distinct calls, is a quick series of yelps followed by a falsetto howl
The source saysusing 3 distinct calls (squeak, distress call and howl call) which consist of a quick series of yelps, followed by a falsetto howlNote: vibe.reason; a description of the call, not a record, so the ADW date caution does not bite

Source
02

Yellowstone National Park, U.S. National Park Service 2025

Coyote. Yellowstone National Park, U.S. National Park Service, 2025.

The page saysThe Song Dog
The source saysa group of coyotes demonstrates why they're also known as "song dogs."Note: gese-patterson-2025 also: "The coyote was once known as the defiant song dog of the U.S. West"
The page saysNorth America's mid-sized wild dog
The source saysCoyotes (middle) are larger than red foxes (front) and smaller than wolves (back).
The page saysThat puts it between a red fox and a wolf, at about a third of a wolf's size with a slighter build.
The source saysOften mistaken for a wolf, the coyote is about one-third the wolf’s size with a slighter build.
The page saysA Third the Size of a Wolf
The source saysthe coyote is about one-third the wolf’s sizeNote: section heading
The page saysIn Yellowstone National Park, coyotes live about six years on average, and up to 13
The source saysAverage life span 6 years; up to 13 years in the park.Note: scoped to Yellowstone, as the page is; replaces a 1988 figure (esf-coyote, 18 years potential) that no current source repeats
The page saysin Yellowstone they mostly eat voles, mice, rabbits and carrion
The source saysPrimarily eat voles, mice, rabbits, other small animals, and carrionNote: scoped to Yellowstone: gese-patterson-2025 says primary prey varies (rodents in western North America, wild ungulates in the few tropical studies)
The page saysfor a dog that talks over distance
The source sayscommunicate with each other by a variety of long-range vocalizationsNote: vibe.reason; replaces 'lonesome midnight desert howling', which argued from place and mood (#176)
The page saysIn Yellowstone, coyotes that learn habits like roadside feeding can turn aggressive toward people, and the park has recorded a few attacks
The source saysThey quickly learn habits like roadside feeding. This may lead to aggressive behavior toward humans and can increase the risk of the coyote being hit by a vehicle. Several instances of coyote aggression toward humans, including a few attacks, have occurred in Yellowstone.Note: body; the sentence stats.dangerLevel: Medium rests on (tiers are capabilities: attacks have occurred, and no cached source reports a serious injury or a death, so Medium)

Source
03

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Open Spaces Blog 2016

Spotted! A Coyote and Badger Hunting Together. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Open Spaces Blog, 2016.

The page saysCoyotes and American badgers sometimes team up to hunt prairie dogs and ground squirrels.
The source saysCoyotes and badgers are known to hunt together and can even be more successful hunting prairie dogs and ground-squirrels when they work in tandem. ... They will sometimes hunt together; but they also often hunt on their own.Note: the only badger in North America is the American badger; the photo on the page was taken at the Black-footed Ferret Conservation Center
The page saysThe coyote can chase down prey that bolts, and the badger can dig out prey that dives underground.
The source saysThe coyote can chase down prey if it runs and the badger can dig after prey if it heads underground into its burrow systems.
The page saysTogether, the pair outruns and outdigs the rodents it hunts.
The source saysTogether they are both faster and better diggers than the burrowing rodents they hunt.
The page saysA Two-Species Hunting Team
The source saysCoyotes and badgers are known to hunt togetherNote: blockquote lead-in: a label naming the pairing, not a statement of how often it happens; the sentence under it carries the source's "sometimes"
The page saysYes, sometimes.
The source saysThey will sometimes hunt together; but they also often hunt on their own.
The page saysCoyotes and American badgers are known to team up to hunt prairie dogs and ground squirrels, and the partnership makes both better hunters.
The source saysCoyotes and badgers are known to hunt together and can even be more successful hunting prairie dogs and ground-squirrels when they work in tandem. Studies have shown that this unusual relationship is beneficial for both species.
The page saysThe coyote can chase down prey that bolts, while the badger can dig out prey that dives underground.
The source saysThe coyote can chase down prey if it runs and the badger can dig after prey if it heads underground into its burrow systems.
The page saysBetween them, the pair outruns and outdigs the rodents they hunt.
The source saysTogether they are both faster and better diggers than the burrowing rodents they hunt.

Source
04

Gese & Patterson 2025

Gese & Patterson (2025). Chapter 28: Coyote. Wild Furbearer Management and Conservation in North America.

The page sayshas faced more than 150 years of large-scale culling
The source saysThe coyote has been the focus of large-scale population-control efforts for >150 years
The page saysstill spread from Alaska to Panama
The source saysyet it has expanded its distribution beyond its known historical distribution and now exists south of the Panama Canal and far north into Canada and AlaskaNote: "still" is the source's "yet": the spread came despite the population-control efforts, not because of them
The page saysfrom Alaska and Canada south to Panama
The source saysnow exists south of the Panama Canal and far north into Canada and Alaska
The page saysRabbits, rodents, insects, deer fawns, fish, wild fruit, carrion, and whatever a suburb leaves within reach
The source sayscoyotes are omnivorous generalists with a high diversity in diet ... including fish, insects, lagomorphs, small mammals, ungulates, and vegetationNote: fawns, fruit and urban food from the same chapter (see the body claims); rabbits, rodents and carrion from nps-yellowstone-coyote ("Primarily eat voles, mice, rabbits, other small animals, and carrion")
The page saysFlexibility in food, behavior and social life
The source saysshows their breadth and plasticity in behavior, food habits, and social organization
The page sayshunting alone for small prey and in groups for deer
The source saysPredicted optimal prey size of coyotes is approximately 45% (6– 8 kg [13– 18 lb]) of their body mass ... prey species that are larger than coyotes (e.g., adult white-tailed deer) may be killed, and coyotes can more easily kill large prey when hunting in groupsNote: flag settled: the superpower lists what coyotes can do, and the body gives the hedges ("predicted", "may not be worth", "can"); the same chapter adds that "In populations where deer and elk are available, large packs of ≤10 individuals may form"
The page saysspreading across North and Central America as people cleared land
The source saysCoyotes greatly expanded their distribution beginning around 1900, which was facilitated by land clearing and the population decline of larger predators (e.g., gray wolves) associated with European colonization
The page sayswiped out wolves, its bigger competitors
The source saysthe large-scale extirpation of larger competing carnivores (e.g., gray wolves
The page saysadults weigh 20 to 35 pounds (9 to 16 kilograms)
The source saysadults weigh 9– 16 kg (20– 35 lb)
The page saysmales usually about 4 pounds heavier than females
The source saysmales usually about 2 kg (4 lb) heavier than females
The page saysmeasure 47 to 59 inches (120 to 150 centimeters) from nose to tail tip
The source saysTotal body length varies from 120 to 150 cm (47– 59 in)
The page saysA Menu With Few Limits, and Rules About Bigger Prey
The source sayscoyotes are omnivorous generalists with a high diversity in dietNote: section heading; the prey-size rules are the claim on optimal prey size below
The page saysCoyotes are carnivores that behave like omnivores
The source saysAlthough technically carnivores, coyotes are omnivorous generalists
The page saysthe menu also runs to fish, insects
The source saysincluding fish, insects, lagomorphs, small mammals, ungulates, and vegetation
The page saysdeer fawns
The source saysfawn consumption by coyotes followed predictions of optimal-foraging theory
The page sayswild fruit
The source saysthe high rate of consumption of fruit by coyotes during summer
The page sayswhatever a suburb leaves in reach, from garden vegetables to trash cans
The source saysUrban areas may provide wild species of prey, but also anthropogenic sources of food such as domestic pets and pet food, garbage, and fruit and vegetable gardensNote: flag settled: "may provide" is about what a town offers; the next sentence says coyotes use it: "coyotes in urban areas typically exhibit greater use of anthropogenic food items than coyotes in rural or forested areas", and the page says "whatever a suburb leaves in reach", not that every coyote eats it
The page saysThey rarely bother with birds or eggs.
The source saysbut rarely birds or bird eggs
The page saysA coyote's ideal prey is predicted to weigh about 13 to 18 pounds, just under half its own weight: for a coyote hunting alone, anything heavier may not be worth the energy it takes to catch, and brings a greater risk of injury.
The source saysPredicted optimal prey size of coyotes is approximately 45% (6– 8 kg [13– 18 lb]) of their body mass ... prey weighing >8 kg (18 lb) may not be energetically advantageous for solitary coyotes to capture and may also pose greater risk of injury to coyotes
The page saysTeam up with the rest of the pack, though, and coyotes can bring down a full-grown deer between them.
The source saysprey species that are larger than coyotes (e.g., adult white-tailed deer) may be killed, and coyotes can more easily kill large prey when hunting in groups
The page saysA 150-Year War It's Winning
The source saysThe coyote has been the focus of large-scale population-control efforts for >150 years (Young and Jackson 1951, Andelt 1987, Knowlton et al. 1999), yet it has expanded its distributionNote: section heading: 150 years of control efforts, and the range grew anyway
The page saysPeople have run large-scale campaigns to cull coyotes for more than 150 years
The source saysThe coyote has been the focus of large-scale population-control efforts for >150 years
The page saysyet the coyote has kept spreading
The source sayswith the continued southward expansion of its distribution
The page saysits range now runs from Alaska and Canada south past the Panama Canal
The source saysnow exists south of the Panama Canal and far north into Canada and Alaska
The page saysbeyond the western deserts, mountains and plains where it historically lived
The source saysThe coyote historically occurred in the western two-thirds of North America, including the Pacific-coastal, mountain, intermountain, desert, and Great Plains regionsNote: flag settled: "beyond" is the source's own word, in its introduction: "it has expanded its distribution beyond its known historical distribution"
The page saysPart of that spread traces back to wolves
The source saysThe expansion of their geographic distribution has been facilitated by landscape modifications and the large-scale extirpation of larger competing carnivores (e.g., gray wolvesNote: "part of": the chapter names landscape modification as the other cause
The page saysA continent with fewer wolves left more room for coyotes to move into.
The source saysThe expansion of their geographic distribution has been facilitated by landscape modifications and the large-scale extirpation of larger competing carnivores (e.g., gray wolvesNote: paraphrase of the source's stated mechanism; nps-yellowstone-coyote says the same of the park: "wolves’ absence opened a niche that coyotes could partially occupy in Yellowstone"
The page saysShooting and trapping usually dent their numbers only briefly
The source saysLocal population control temporarily decreases abundance on a short-term basisNote: flag settled: paraphrase, "only briefly" for "temporarily ... on a short-term basis"; "usually" carries the chapter's "typically ephemeral"
The page saysthin out a coyote population, and coyotes from nearby move in, more young females start breeding, litters grow larger, and numbers quickly climb back
The source saysThe effects of lethal removal of coyotes are typically ephemeral because normal demographic responses, including recolonization and immigration from adjacent areas, increased prevalence of breeding among younger females, and increased litter sizes, will quickly increase the population to levels commensurate with habitat conditions.Note: flag settled: "typically" is carried by "usually" at the head of the same sentence, before the colon
The page saysThe name coyote comes from the Aztec word *coyotl*, meaning "barking dog,"
The source saysThe common name of coyote was originally from the Aztec word coyotl, meaning barking dog
The page saysits knack for learning to dodge many population-control efforts fits the trickster reputation Native Americans gave it
The source saysThe ability of the coyote to learn and avoid many population-control measures (Young and Jackson 1951, Knowlton et al. 1999) demonstrates its adaptability and is consistent with the reputation described by Native Americans as the trickster.
The page saysBecause the effect usually doesn't last.
The source saysThe effects of lethal removal of coyotes are typically ephemeralNote: flag settled: "because" answers the FAQ's "why" with the chapter's own finding; "usually" is its "typically"
The page saysCoyote litters average three to seven pups but can run as large as twelve
The source saysLitters average 3– 7 pups (range = 1–12)
The page sayswhen hunting or trapping thins out a population, coyotes from nearby move in, more young females start breeding, litters grow larger, and numbers quickly recover
The source saysThe effects of lethal removal of coyotes are typically ephemeral because normal demographic responses, including recolonization and immigration from adjacent areas, increased prevalence of breeding among younger females, and increased litter sizes, will quickly increase the population to levels commensurate with habitat conditions.Note: flag settled: "typically" is carried by the answer's first sentence, "the effect usually doesn't last"; "recover" is the chapter's "to levels commensurate with habitat conditions", so the old question's "make it bigger" was cut
The page sayspacks howl to advertise their territory
The source saysHowling plays a role in territorial maintenance and spacing of packs by advertising territorial boundariesNote: vibe.reason

Source
05

Berger & Gese 2007

Berger & Gese (2007). Does interference competition with wolves limit the distribution and abundance of coyotes? Journal of Animal Ecology.

The page sayswhich can hold coyote numbers down
The source sayssupports the hypothesis that competition with wolves limits coyote populationsNote: "can", not "usually": gese-patterson-2025 says outcomes were variable, "ranging from complete extirpation of coyotes by wolves to localized changes in abundance of coyotes to increases in their population after population recovery of wolves"
The page sayscoyote densities ran a third lower where wolves were abundant in Grand Teton National Park
The source saysMean coyote densities were 33% lower at wolf-abundant sites in GTNP
The page saysfell 39 percent in Yellowstone once wolves were reintroduced there
The source saysdensities declined 39% in Yellowstone National Park following wolf reintroduction

Source
06

Kays 2018

Kays (2018). Canis latrans. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T3745A163508579.

The page saysLeast Concern
The source saysIUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC).

How the table was made: a writer drafted the profile from these sources and logged each claim with its quote, a reviewer with nothing but this table checked every sentence said no more than its quote, and a script confirmed each quote appears word for word in the source. The method is in the site'sAbout page.