Foods Coyotes are opportunistic carnivores and take advantage of seasonal changes in the abundance of food items. Rabbits, deer fawns, various plants and assorted birds and invertebrates are important summer food. Occasionally, an individual coyote learns that sheep, lambs and calves are easy prey. Reproduction Coyotes reproduce once a year. Pairs are formed and breeding occurs in January-February.
Coyotes are capable of breeding at one year of age but do so infrequently.
Most are two years old when they breed for the first time. The percentage of females that breed is dependent on food availability and coyote density. Pups are born nine weeks after breeding occurs. The litter size depends on the age of the mother and the amount of available prey in the area. A scarcity of prey results in fewer females breeding and producing smaller litters.