Quote:
Originally Posted by Elarson
Question for the coyote experts. We have packs that run the tree lines around our place. Usually at least once every night a pack will start yipping, howling and making a big commotion for a couple minutes and then go silent. What's happening? Celebrating a kill? Chasing off another pack? Something else?
Curious,
Eric
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What you are hearing is the standard welcome greeting to the alpha male. Coyotes do not celebrate a kill because it would draw other predators. Coyotes do not run in packs, they are a family unit. A "pack" is all the same family, single alpha male, female, youngsters and pups. The two or three minute series of yelps is the greeting to the alpha male regardless of kill or not. Last thing coyotes want to do is advertise a kill and invite other family units to contest the kill.
Typically you'll hear it more in the winter months, Dec-Feb as it's mating season and the males are wandering a bit.
If you own any dogs, and you notice that when you come downstairs after a nap and they do a short series of greeting barks/howls ... same thing. They are greeting you, the alpha male back into the group. If you have more than one dog it will usually be the beta male/older dog that will start the greeting and the younger dog(s) will join in.
Coyotes are extremely vocal predators .... probably the only thing they don't vocalize is a kill. Not a good evolutionary trait to advertise a kill and invite every other group of coyotes/wolves/pumas to come steal it.
They will also vocalize to alert the family unit to interlopers, other predators, large animals, and sometimes just to advertise their dominance over a certain area. And also just to announce they are a well knit family unit. Typically 90% of the yipping you will hear is the alpha male greeting. Extended howls are usually a lone animal calling to the family unit for one reason or another.