Over the past year, coyotes have successfully extirpated the red fox from our Littleton, Colorado, farm and are now using their abandoned den beneath our barn. Last night, just after midnight, the pack began to yip and howl, a call of the wild not terribly welcome in suburban America. After all, coyotes are known to prey on cats and small dogs and, in some cases, might pose a threat to young children.
Coyote packs consist of a dominant pair (the alpha male and female), young female offspring and the occasional stray that is welcomed into the group; male offspring of the adult pair seek their own territory within 9 to 12 months of birth and coyotes of both genders are sexually mature by one year of age. Mating occurs in mid-late winter and a litter of up to 19 pups is born by late spring; mortality is very high during the first year of life but enough survive to support a growing coyote population that now ranges across all mainland U.S. States, Canada, Mexico and Central America, including urban areas. Their success is due to a number of factors, including their intelligence, adaptability and omnivorous diet, which includes small mammals, waterfowl, game birds, reptiles, fruit, nuts, carrion and edible human trash; coyotes are also known to interbreed with wolves and feral dogs.
Whether we will be able to host the coyotes on our modest-sized, suburban farm remains to be seen. Their nocturnal howling and their taste for small pets might force our hand but, for now, we'll let them control the mice and voles.
