🐺 Coyote
Canis latrans
North America's most adaptable canine. A pair of coyotes can sound like a whole pack thanks to their warbling group howls.
🔊 Hear the call
🐺 Coyote
Reference call (simulated)
“Yips and barks building into a wavering group howl, often with high-pitched squeals”
What they sound like
Yips and barks building into a wavering group howl, often with high-pitched squeals
Why they make this sound
- · Reuniting with family members after a hunt
- · Announcing territory to neighboring packs
- · Answering sirens, trains and other howls
When you’ll hear them
Mostly between dusk and dawn, year-round, loudest in winter breeding season
Where they live
Everywhere from deserts and prairie to golf courses and city parks Across North and Central America
Fun fact
Two coyotes can sound like eight — their voices shift pitch rapidly, an effect called the beau geste.
Should I be concerned?
Usually wants nothing to do with you. Keep your distance, secure pets and food sources, and never approach or feed wildlife. If one is too bold, make yourself big and loud.
Sound signature
- Sound type
- Mammal vocalization — howl and yip
- Pitch
- Medium rising to high
- Pattern
- Staccato yips leading into a wavering howl
- Frequency
- 400–2,500 Hz