Alas for coyotes, they face one serious issue in Seattle; no roadrunners grace the wilds of my fair city. But perhaps this may be a saving grace. Instead of focusing their formidable skills on the pursuit of the legendary avian speedster, God’s dog, as some call coyotes, can concentrate on more attainable prey. A recently published study, based on 687 coyote scats collected from Seattle parks, found that coyotes rarely caught birds, roadrunner or otherwise, and instead focus on fruit and small critters.
Samantha Kreling, lead author of the study in the September 2026 issue of People and Nature, and her colleagues discovered that the most frequently eaten items in a Seattle coyote’s diet were apples, plums, and cherries; rabbits (non-native Eastern cottontails, here due to our propensity to let our former pets out in the city); chickens (from chicken found in garbage and not backyard chickens); cats (though the latter is likely overestimated by the methods used as the same cat will often be detected multiple times); mice; and rats.
The key, noted Sam, was that coyotes exploited our habits. “If trash is unsecured, compost is open, and picnic sites (or the like) are not cleaned up urban wildlife including coyotes will capitalize on them,” she said. In total, coyotes ate food from 65 families (24 plant, 41 vertebrate).
As Sam told me, coyotes are incredibly opportunistic. If an easy meal becomes available, they will take it. For example, illegal dumping and poorly covered trash lead to coyotes taking pest rodents and human-generated food such as chicken, pig, and cow, whereas population density (people not coyotes) results in greater consumption of garden fruits, as well as rodents. The study further found that greener areas (with more tree canopy cover) support less diverse, non-anthropogenic diets and that in areas of lower household income and less tree canopy, coyotes eat more berries, particularly Himalayan blackberry.
Not that we will be able to control what a wily animal like a coyote eats but we can at least be better neighbors, as well as more tolerant. Coyotes probably help to control rodent populations, particularly in areas rife with illegal dumping and poorly covered trash. They also help spread seeds of native plants and reduce those often-despised, vegetable-garden pests: rabbits. Nor are coyotes marauding carnivores, only eating our precious cats and dogs; they may pick off the occasional pet but rarely ones on leash or in fenced yards.
Sam was also involved in another study of coyotes in Seattle. Using scat again, she and her colleagues compared coyote populations in rural and urban settings. Amazingly, Seattle hosts a population density nine times greater than found in wilder and rural settings. Estimated density in Seattle was .98/square mile or around 83 coyotes within city limits. “That might surprise people who think of coyotes as afraid of humans, but I think it just shows how ideal the urban setting is for coyotes,” said Laura Prugh, lead author of the study in Environmental Research: Ecology.
Of particular interest is what affects coyote numbers and what doesn’t affect them. Researchers had hypothesized that the luxury effect—with wealthier neighborhoods having more tree cover and biodiversity—might lead to greater coyote density, but this was not the case. Conversely, impervious surfaces and pollution, which tend to lead to more dead coyotes, didn’t reduce the density. Human population density was the only factor that significantly influenced coyote density. More people equals fewer coyotes so why are there more coyotes in Seattle than in rural and wilder parts of the state?
Urban coyotes benefit in several ways, in particular, the absence of two primary means of death. A coyote may have a greater chance of being killed by a vehicle in Seattle than in a rural counterpart, but that same coyote isn’t going to be shot or caught. Our species has long been instrumental in controlling, or at least attempting to control, coyote populations via hunting and trapping. A review study of 31 studies estimated that an urban coyote had a 41% greater annual survival compared to one in rural or natural areas; humans caused 77% of deaths across all studies.
Food, either finding it or not being it, also contributes to the success of urban coyotes. Sam’s study showed that the cityscape led to dietary diversity twice as high compared to wilder locations. Plus, the absence of predators such as wolves and mountain lions, meant that coyotes were rarely eaten by anyone. Without these big competitors, coyotes are in essence the top dog and more able to exploit a wide variety of food resources.
One part of the coyote story that the UW scientists do not know is the long term population dynamics. With just a single year, single season estimate, researchers cannot generalize if the number of coyotes in Seattle is growing or stabilized. Also uncertain is if their numbers trend with bunny abundance, as happens in many natural areas. Sam told me that it’s hard to predict what will happen here. Coyotes are relatively newcomers (arrival unknown but perhaps in the 1920s/30s); tend to have larger litters in cities; and have plenty of food and few means of death, so their population has the potential to continue to grow, but that is speculation and could change with changing conditions.
She also stressed that Seattle has lot fewer coyotes than other urban environments. The reason is tolerance, or intolerance. We human residents are generally receptive to coyotes but not when a coyote acts in a manner we do not like, such as bothering our pets and eating garbage. We are incredibly fortunate that coyotes grace Seattle—even without access to Acme products or roadrunners—but if we want to keep it that way, we may want to become a bit more proactive in how we manage our pets and our garbage, as well as be more tolerant of such wildness in our midst.
Saturday, September 26 - 11:30 AM - Eagle Harbor Congregational Church - I am excited to be part of the Bainbridge Island Book Festival. I will be sharing the stage with the eminent guidebook author Craig Romano. We’ll be interviewed by author and carnivore biologist Paula MacKay.
October 4 – Cascade Forest Conservancy – Portland, Oregon – 4:00 to 7:00 PM – I have the honor to discuss In the Range of Fire and Ice at the Forest Fest benefit for the Cascade Forest Conservancy. To register.
October 7 - Darvill’s Books - Orcas Island Public Library — 6:00 PM – In conversation with Amy Frost, former Executive Director of the Lopez Island Historical Society, for In the Range of Fire and Ice.
October 8, 2026 – Village Books – Bellingham – 6:00 PM – In conversation with the co-founder of the North Cascades Institute Saul Weisberg for In the Range of Fire and Ice. RSVP for event.
