Coyote Vocalizations
Despite about 70% of coyotes living near people dying as pups (higher in the wilderness), their population is exploding throughout the world. They have the ability to adapt to most any situation. Urban and rural, hot or cold climates and will eat most any food. They're great swimmers and can run up to 40 mph.
And what's really fascinating is that you can't successfully cull coyotes. They adapt and will actually have larger or smaller litters based on the conditions. So if you kill one coyote the result will typically be two more.
If you're around coyotes, learning what the sounds they make actually mean can be really fun. And if you hear a bunch of them go off at once, usually around sunset, it can sound like a big pack. But more than likely, there's just two or three of them. They have the ability to instantly change their vocalizations so it sounds like there's many when there's only a few.
Most of us are going to be living around coyotes at some point. And it's clear we're going to HAVE to learn how to live with them. I see them most every day and view them as neighbors. Awesome animals.
Types of Coyote Vocalizations:
1. [b]Growl.[/b] This vocalization holds no mystery. A growl is used as a threat, specifically for something within close range.
2. [b]Huff.[/b] This is the expulsion of air through the nose and mouth, and is also used as a high-intensity threat in close proximity. Huffs are used when there’s bickering over carrion.
3. [b]Woof.[/b] This vocalization is made as both a low-intensity threat and as an alarm. It’s a sound made when a coyote is startled and unsure of exactly what is happening.
4. [b]Bark.[/b] The bark is a long-distance threat or alert of low to medium intensity.
5. [b]Bark-Howl[/b] This is when the coyote gets serious about a threat. The bark-howl is used as a long-distance high-intensity threat or alarm. It starts with a bark and blends into a howl.
What is interesting about the bark and the bark-howl is that research suggests that the varying intensity and frequency of barks could contain different information.
Howls stably convey information for distances of about a mile. Barks, on the other hand, rapidly attenuated and did not appear suitable for transmitting information.
6. [b]Whine. [/b]This sound is used to express submission and is usually given by a subordinate coyote to a more dominant coyote.
7. [b]Yelp.[/b] The yelp takes the whine up a notch and represents high-intensity submission. However, it can also be a response to being startled. As is the case with several other of these vocalizations, this categorization shows that coyote communication is more of a gradient.
8. [b]Woo-oo-wow.[/b] This is the greeting song of coyotes, and is used during high-intensity greeting displays. The vocalization modulates in frequency and amplitude as a coyote’s motivation shifts.
9. [b]Lone Howl. [/b]The lone howl is just what you probably already know it to be: a howl by a single coyote, which is often started with a series of barks and can distinguish individuals.
10. [b]Group Howl[/b]. A group howl is sent up when two or more coyotes come together after being apart, or it could be given as a response to the howls of distant coyotes as a way of giving out location information to any listeners.
And what's really fascinating is that you can't successfully cull coyotes. They adapt and will actually have larger or smaller litters based on the conditions. So if you kill one coyote the result will typically be two more.
If you're around coyotes, learning what the sounds they make actually mean can be really fun. And if you hear a bunch of them go off at once, usually around sunset, it can sound like a big pack. But more than likely, there's just two or three of them. They have the ability to instantly change their vocalizations so it sounds like there's many when there's only a few.
Most of us are going to be living around coyotes at some point. And it's clear we're going to HAVE to learn how to live with them. I see them most every day and view them as neighbors. Awesome animals.
Types of Coyote Vocalizations:
1. [b]Growl.[/b] This vocalization holds no mystery. A growl is used as a threat, specifically for something within close range.
2. [b]Huff.[/b] This is the expulsion of air through the nose and mouth, and is also used as a high-intensity threat in close proximity. Huffs are used when there’s bickering over carrion.
3. [b]Woof.[/b] This vocalization is made as both a low-intensity threat and as an alarm. It’s a sound made when a coyote is startled and unsure of exactly what is happening.
4. [b]Bark.[/b] The bark is a long-distance threat or alert of low to medium intensity.
5. [b]Bark-Howl[/b] This is when the coyote gets serious about a threat. The bark-howl is used as a long-distance high-intensity threat or alarm. It starts with a bark and blends into a howl.
What is interesting about the bark and the bark-howl is that research suggests that the varying intensity and frequency of barks could contain different information.
Howls stably convey information for distances of about a mile. Barks, on the other hand, rapidly attenuated and did not appear suitable for transmitting information.
6. [b]Whine. [/b]This sound is used to express submission and is usually given by a subordinate coyote to a more dominant coyote.
7. [b]Yelp.[/b] The yelp takes the whine up a notch and represents high-intensity submission. However, it can also be a response to being startled. As is the case with several other of these vocalizations, this categorization shows that coyote communication is more of a gradient.
8. [b]Woo-oo-wow.[/b] This is the greeting song of coyotes, and is used during high-intensity greeting displays. The vocalization modulates in frequency and amplitude as a coyote’s motivation shifts.
9. [b]Lone Howl. [/b]The lone howl is just what you probably already know it to be: a howl by a single coyote, which is often started with a series of barks and can distinguish individuals.
10. [b]Group Howl[/b]. A group howl is sent up when two or more coyotes come together after being apart, or it could be given as a response to the howls of distant coyotes as a way of giving out location information to any listeners.
