Variation in Coyote Diets Associated with Season and Successional Changes in Vegetation

Abstract

Diets of coyotes (Canis latrans) on the Rob and Bessie Welder Wildlife Refuge (WWR) in south Texas were determined from analyses of scats collected during 1961-62, 1973-74, 1975-76, and 1978-79. Diets varied among years due to successional changes in vegetation and changes in prey abundance. Coyote diets also varied seasonally, reflecting changing abundances of a wide variety of food items, differential vulnerability of prey, effects of plant phenology, and weather conditions. J. WILDL. MANAGE. 5 1(2):273-277 Short-term studies have shown pronounced seasonal variation in coyote diets related to the availability of various foods (Gipson and Sealander 1976, Litvaitis and Shaw 1980, MacCracken and Hansen 1982, Van Vuren and Thompson 1982, Harrison and Harrison 1984). However, reports of coyote diets over long periods of time from the same area (e.g., Leopold and Krausman 1986) are scarce, and we are not aware of studies reporting variations in diets associated with successional changes in vegetation. In this paper we report on coyote diets on the WWR during 1961-62, 1973-74, 1975-76, and 1978-79, comparing feeding patterns among these periods and relating variations in diets to changes in vegetation and vertebrate prey populations. We thank the Rob and Bessie Welder Wildlife Foundation (WWF), Sinton, Texas and the Natl. Sci. Found. for funding this study. This paper is WWF Contrib. 302.