The coyote (Canis latrans) is a highly adaptable canine species that has successfully colonized nearly all of North America, thriving in environments ranging from remote wilderness to dense urban centers. When a coyote hunts is not fixed but rather a complex calculation based on its immediate surroundings and seasonal needs.
Daily Activity Patterns
Coyotes exhibit a natural tendency toward activity during the twilight hours of the day. They are primarily crepuscular, meaning their movement and hunting peak around dawn and dusk. This timing offers a natural compromise, providing enough low light to conceal their movements while still allowing them to navigate their territory efficiently.
This natural schedule, however, is heavily modified by human presence. In rural areas with minimal human disturbance, coyotes may display more activity during daylight hours, especially when food is scarce. As human population density increases, coyotes demonstrate temporal avoidance.
Urban coyotes become almost exclusively nocturnal, conducting the vast majority of their foraging and travel under the cover of darkness. This shift minimizes encounters with people, dogs, and vehicles, which are the primary sources of risk in metropolitan environments.
Environmental and Seasonal Influences
The coyote’s need to find food and raise young introduces significant seasonal variations to its hunting timetable. During winter, food resources become scarcer, and the cold requires more energy expenditure, often forcing coyotes to hunt more frequently throughout the day. This need to forage often outweighs the risk of daytime travel, especially where prey is concentrated.
The spring and summer pupping season also drives an increase in daytime hunting activity. Adults must meet the increased nutritional demands of their growing litter, leading to a temporary expansion of their active hours to ensure a constant food supply.
Weather conditions also regulate the daily routine. Periods of intense heat may push activity into the cooler hours of the night and early morning to prevent overheating. Conversely, during extreme cold, a coyote might utilize the midday sun to warm itself before beginning its nightly hunt. High levels of human persecution, such as hunting and trapping, reinforce a strictly nocturnal pattern, as the animals learn to associate daylight with danger.
Hunting Strategies and Prey Focus
The specific prey a coyote targets directly influences the hour it chooses to hunt. Coyotes frequently target small mammals like mice, voles, and rabbits, which are often most active during the same crepuscular hours. Hunting for this small, solitary prey is often done alone, relying on a quick pounce or stalk to secure a meal.
When coyotes hunt larger prey, such as deer fawns or sick adults, they may engage in coordinated pack hunting, which is typically reserved for the deepest hours of the night. This timing takes advantage of the larger prey animal being at rest and less alert. The energy expenditure required for these activities necessitates periods of rest, which coyotes generally take during the midday hours to conserve strength for the evening and morning hunts.