States Wildlife
Menu

Coyote

Canis latrans · also called eastern coyote · Last checked November 3, 2026.

A grizzled tan coyote stands on snowy grassland and looks back at the camera.
Coyote standing in a snowy field, looking toward the camera Photo: Gaurav Vaidya from Chapel Hill, USA · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

The coyote is a medium-sized wild member of the dog family, usually grayish-brown to reddish-brown with large pointed ears and a bushy, black-tipped tail. FWC says it now lives in every state except Hawaii, in rural, suburban and urban areas. Agencies say coyotes rarely threaten people and usually avoid them, but fed or habituated coyotes can become bold. Children and small pets are most at risk, and coyotes can carry rabies. Arizona Game and Fish Department

On this page
  1. Is it dangerous?
  2. How to identify it
  3. Lookalikes
  4. Where it lives
  5. When it is active
  6. Habitat and habits
  7. Legal status and reporting
  8. Questions
  9. Sources

Is the coyote dangerous?

FWC: coyotes are not large animals and rarely threaten people, especially adults; they are curious but timid and usually run away if challenged. FWC

“Coyotes are not large animals and rarely pose a threat to people, especially adults.”

Bites and stings: AZGFD: on rare occasions, coyotes that people have fed have bitten people. Rabies can be passed to people and pets through the bite or saliva of an infected animal (Georgia DNR).

How to identify a coyote

A photo or description can narrow it down, but cannot confirm what an animal is or that it is safe. Look from a distance and do not handle wild animals.

A gray and tan coyote stands in snow in front of a spruce tree, head turned to the right.
Grizzled gray coyote standing in snow, side view of head and long legs Photo: Akr · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist
Close-up of a gray coyote's face with snow on its fur, large ears upright.
Face close-up showing large pointed ears and narrow muzzle Photo: Akr · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist
A small tan coyote pup with big ears stands inside the mouth of a concrete pipe on a grassy bank.
Coyote pup standing in a culvert pipe den Photo: Natasha Haggard · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist
A small coyote walks across sand in front of several elephant seals lying by coastal shrubs.
Coyote trotting across a beach past resting elephant seals Photo: avocat · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Size: About 3.5 to 4 feet long including the tail and roughly 2 feet tall at the shoulder; weight varies by region: Arizona 20 to 30 lb, Florida average about 28 lb, Georgia 25 to 45 lb Arizona Game and Fish Department

Colors: Grayish-brown to reddish-brown, often with lighter undersides; mostly gray; some rusty, brown or off-white. Pattern: Mottled fur.

Key features

Young

Litters of about six pups born about two months after late-winter mating; pups leave the den at about three weeks under adult watch

Animals mistaken for the coyote

Coyote or Red wolf?

Coyote

Coyote
Photo: Gaurav Vaidya from Chapel Hill, USA · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Red wolf Canis rufus

Red wolf
Photo: Katie Gipson · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

NCWRC table: red wolf 4 to 5 ft long nose to tail, 40 to 80 lb, wide head, broad muzzle, large feet, ears proportionally smaller than the head; coyote no more than 3 ft, slimmer, 20 to 30 lb on the Albemarle Peninsula, narrow head, long pointed muzzle, smaller feet, ears proportionally larger. NCWRC warns that color and size overlap, so the two can be hard to tell apart in the field. (AZGFD gives coyote length as 3.5 to 4 ft including the tail, so length alone is not reliable.) N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission

Coyote or Gray wolf?

Coyote

Coyote
Photo: Gaurav Vaidya from Chapel Hill, USA · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Gray wolf Canis lupus

Gray wolf
Photo: Robbie Hannawacker · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist

NY DEC: gray wolves are much larger (females typically 50-100 lb, males 70-145 lb, 5-6 ft nose to tail, 27-33 in at the shoulder); eastern coyotes rarely exceed 50 lb and generally stand under 2 ft at the shoulder. Wolves have small rounded ears and a short blocky snout; coyotes have larger, more pointed ears (can look rounded in winter coat) and a long, narrow, pointed snout. Coyote tracks are typically 3 x 2 in, wolf tracks about 5 x 4 in. NY DEC says most wolf reports in New York were coyotes, dogs or wolf-dog hybrids. NYSDEC

Where the coyote lives

Texas: on the state's official listCalifornia: on the state's official listKentucky: on the state's official listGeorgia: on the state's official list (nonnative)Wisconsin: on the state's official listMissouri: on the state's official listVirginia: on the state's official list (nonnative)Tennessee: on the state's official listLouisiana: on the state's official listNew York: on the state's official listIdaho: on the state's official listFlorida: on an official sourceIllinois: on the state's official listMontana: on the state's official listMinnesota: on the state's official listMaryland: on the state's official listIowa: on the state's official listOhio: on the state's official listNebraska: on the state's official listWashington: on the state's official listSouth Dakota: on the state's official listArkansas: on the state's official listMississippi: on the state's official listColorado: on the state's official listNorth Carolina: on the state's official list (nonnative)Oklahoma: on the state's official listWyoming: on the state's official listWest Virginia: on the state's official listIndiana: on the state's official listMassachusetts: on the state's official listNevada: on the state's official listNorth Dakota: on the state's official listPennsylvania: on the state's official listSouth Carolina: on an official sourceMaine: on the state's official listRhode Island: on the state's official listConnecticut: on the state's official listAlaska: on the state's official listDelaware: on the state's official listNew Mexico: on the state's official listAlabama: on the state's official listKansas: on the state's official listVermont: on the state's official listNew Jersey: on the state's official listNew Hampshire: on the state's official listArizona: on the state's official list
Official presence. 46 states where a state list or official source names it. Gray means no official record in our data, not that it is absent.
  • Native or listed
  • Nonnative or not established
  • No official record in our data
Texas: 1,376 recordsCalifornia: 3,793 recordsKentucky: 52 recordsGeorgia: 46 recordsWisconsin: 105 recordsOregon: 176 recordsMissouri: 97 recordsVirginia: 69 recordsTennessee: 74 recordsLouisiana: 62 recordsNew York: 1,146 recordsIdaho: 182 recordsFlorida: 100 recordsIllinois: 163 recordsMontana: 33 recordsMinnesota: 84 recordsMaryland: 48 recordsIowa: 5 recordsOhio: 231 recordsNebraska: 294 recordsWashington: 221 recordsSouth Dakota: 35 recordsArkansas: 45 recordsMississippi: 33 recordsColorado: 271 recordsNorth Carolina: 108 recordsUtah: 69 recordsOklahoma: 41 recordsWyoming: 294 recordsWest Virginia: 14 recordsIndiana: 52 recordsMassachusetts: 202 recordsNevada: 74 recordsNorth Dakota: 15 recordsPennsylvania: 45 recordsSouth Carolina: 10 recordsMaine: 46 recordsRhode Island: 16 recordsConnecticut: 91 recordsMichigan: 54 recordsAlaska: 91 recordsNew Mexico: 159 recordsAlabama: 45 recordsKansas: 21 recordsVermont: 202 recordsNew Jersey: 13 recordsNew Hampshire: 322 recordsArizona: 459 records
Observation records. Open-licence records on GBIF in 48 states. Records are sightings people shared, not confirmation that a population lives there.
  • 1–9
  • 10–99
  • 100–999
  • 1,000+

On our state guides

State boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau, cartographic boundary file cb_2024_us_state_20m.

When it is active

Primarily nocturnal; often active at dawn and dusk (Ohio lists crepuscular); daytime sightings in towns are common and are not by themselves a sign of rabies (Virginia DWR) Virginia DWR

US open-licence records peak in January to April, September and November to December.

11,455 US records by month (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY). Shows when people record it, not how many there are.

Habitat and habits

Habitat: Almost any habitat, including forests, clearcuts and woodlots in rural and urban areas, farmland and suburbs Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife

Behavior: Live in family groups holding home-range territories; usually shy and elusive; mate for life (NCWRC)

Diet: Opportunistic omnivore: mainly rabbits and rodents, also birds, snakes, insects, fish, fruit; will take pet food, garbage and small pets

Young: Mate around February-March, pups born April-May (NCWRC); litter about six (Ohio)

Legal status and reporting

Invasive status: Georgia DNR calls the coyote non-native in Georgia; no source consulted calls it invasive Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division

Report: Report unusual or bold coyote behavior (approaching people, chasing joggers or bikers, attacking leashed pets) to the state wildlife agency: in Florida the nearest FWC Regional Office; in New York local police and the DEC regional office; in North Carolina suspected rabies or unprovoked aggression goes to local animal control; in Virginia the Wildlife Conflict Helpline 1-855-571-9003. FWC

Questions about the coyote

Are there coyotes in florida?

Yes. FWC says coyotes have been documented in all 67 Florida counties, arriving by natural range expansion from western states.

Are there coyotes in south florida?

Yes. FWC says coyotes have been documented in all 67 Florida counties and live in rural, suburban and urban areas throughout the state.

Are there coyotes in north carolina?

Yes. NCWRC says coyotes first appeared in North Carolina in the 1980s and lists them as common throughout the state.

Are there coyotes in south carolina?

Yes. SCDNR says coyotes first appeared in the upstate in 1978 and are now present in all counties of South Carolina.

Are there coyotes in new york?

Yes. NY DEC says the Eastern coyote is firmly established in New York.

Are there coyotes in pennsylvania?

Yes. The Pennsylvania Game Commission includes the coyote (Canis latrans) on its list of wild mammals in Pennsylvania.

Are there wolves or coyotes in hawaii?

FWC says coyotes live in every state but Hawaii. That source does not address wolves.

Sources

  1. Living with Coyotes. Arizona Game and Fish Department. archived copy, captured March 7, 2026; checked November 3, 2026.
    Quoted passages (3)
    “Typically measure 3.5 to 4 feet in length, including the tail, and stand roughly 2 feet tall at the shoulder.”
    “Large, pointed ears; long, narrow nose; and a bushy, black-tipped tail.”
    “Coyotes are opportunistic omnivores with a varied diet that includes both animals and plants. They primarily prey on small mammals such as rabbits and rodents but will also consume birds, snakes, insects, fish,”
  2. Living with Coyotes. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). archived copy, captured September 15, 2026; checked November 3, 2026. Archived copy.
    Quoted passages (3)
    “Coyotes are not large animals and rarely pose a threat to people, especially adults.”
    “The average Florida coyote weighs about 28 pounds and has a paw track about 2 inches long.”
    “Unusual coyote behavior can be reported to your nearest FWC Regional Office.”
  3. Coyote Conflicts. NYSDEC. archived copy, captured August 31, 2026; checked November 3, 2026.
  4. Living with Coyotes (fact sheet). Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division. updated May 2020; checked November 3, 2026.
    Quoted passages (1)
    “Coyotes are a non-native species in Georgia and can be harvested year-round on private property.”
  5. Mammals of Ohio Field Guide (Publication 5344). Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife. PUBLICATION 5344; checked November 3, 2026.
    Quoted passages (3)
    “A slender animal, very similar in appearance to a medium-sized dog and much smaller than a wolf”
    “At about three weeks of age, the young leave the den under the watch of the adults.”
    “The coyote’s strength is that it can adapt and exploit most any habitat to its advantage, including forests, clearcuts, and woodlots in rural and urban areas.”
  6. Human-Wildlife Conflicts: Coyotes. California Department of Fish and Wildlife. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
    Quoted passages (2)
    “Coyotes may be heard calling to each other (yips, howls, barks) any time of day or night.”
    “They generally live in family groups and establish home range territories to hunt and raise their pups.”
  7. Problems with Coyotes. Virginia DWR. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
    Quoted passages (1)
    “They are primarily nocturnal, meaning they come out mostly at night; however just seeing them during the day is not a sign of rabies.”
  8. Coyote (NCWRC species page). N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
    Quoted passages (1)
    “Coyotes mate around February-March and give birth between April-May.”
  9. Red Wolf (NCWRC species page). N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
    Quoted passages (1)
    “Narrow head, long and pointed muzzle, long legs but slim, smaller feet, ears that are proportionally larger than the head.”
  10. Gray Wolf. NYSDEC. archived copy, captured April 20, 2026; checked November 3, 2026.
    Quoted passages (1)
    “Males are larger than females, with females typically weighing 50-100 pounds and males weighing 70-145 pounds, depending on geographic locations. Wolves generally measure 5-6 feet from nose to tip of tail and stand 27-33 inches at the shoulder.”
  11. Coyote. South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
  12. Current List of Wild Mammals in Pennsylvania (66). Pennsylvania Game Commission. archived copy, captured September 1, 2024; checked November 3, 2026.
  13. GBIF.org occurrence records, human observations licensed CC0 1.0 or CC BY 4.0 only, accessed November 3, 2026. The datasets behind these counts are listed on our Sources page.
  14. State boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau, cartographic boundary file cb_2024_us_state_20m.