Coyote Behavior in Arizona Neighborhoods

Coyote behavior in Arizona neighborhoods is mostly about caution and opportunity, and what changes it is what people leave out and how they react. This page is a supporting guide in our coyote information hub; start there for the full set of topics.

This is general information, not veterinary, medical or legal advice. For an injured or aggressive animal, a bite, a pet attack or a suspected rabies exposure, call your doctor, your vet, local animal control, or the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD).

Reviewed by the editorial desk against the cited sources. The desk holds no wildlife-biology, veterinary or medical credential; see our editorial policy. Sources are listed at the end and every claim below comes from one of them. Where the agencies do not say something, this page says so rather than guessing.

What is normal coyote behavior in a neighborhood?

AZGFD’s current Living with Coyotes page describes a medium-sized, doglike animal, grayish-brown to reddish-brown, with large pointed ears, a long narrow nose and a bushy black-tipped tail. It gives about 3.5 to 4 feet in length including the tail, about 2 feet at the shoulder, and 20 to 30 pounds for Arizona coyotes, with males larger. It calls coyotes vocal (howls, yelps and barks) and says they are common in rural and suburban Arizona.

AZGFD describes coyotes as wild canines that are “clever and opportunistic” and well adapted to living in cities, suburbs, rural towns and agricultural areas. When developments are built in their habitat, the department says, coyotes are not permanently displaced. Some move on, but many adjust to the new environment. They can be seen at golf courses, parks, preserves and in many neighborhoods.

That means a coyote crossing a street, trotting along a wash or watching from a vacant lot is, on the department’s description, within the range of ordinary urban wildlife. University of California IPM adds that coyotes are normally elusive and avoid contact with humans, and that they are usually seen only at a distance.

Three traits matter most for living alongside them.

They are opportunistic eaters. Current AZGFD guidance lists rabbits, rodents, birds, snakes, insects, fish, fruit, carrion and livestock, plus garbage and ornamental fruit in cities. Its attractant list adds pet food, unattended pets, fallen fruit, pet water bowls, fountains and pools, and shelter such as shrubs, storm drains and spaces under sheds or porches. The 2015 brochure also lists dates and house cats and small dogs. A yard that offers any of these is offering coyotes a reason to return. The practical steps for cutting off those food sources are on our pet safety hub and the yard guide on the home page.

They breed every year and raise pups in dens. Current AZGFD guidance says coyotes mate from January to March and have four to seven pups in a den from March to May. The season is covered in coyote breeding and pup season in Arizona.

They may be alone or in groups. AZGFD says coyotes usually travel and hunt alone or in loose pairs, and may also be seen in groups. University of Florida extension notes that coyotes do not typically form packs as wolves do and that family groups may sometimes hunt together, so a group is not on its own a sign of unusual behavior.

When does coyote behavior become a concern?

The agencies draw a clear line between a coyote that is wary and a coyote that has become comfortable around people.

AZGFD says that on rare occasions human-fed coyotes have bitten people. It says coyotes can be a risk to people once they become comfortable around humans, usually as a result of feeding or indifference. In that situation, in the department’s words, coyotes lose their natural fear and learn to see humans, their yards and their pets as food sources and safe havens. The brochure also says it is generally not normal for coyotes to attack or pursue humans, and calls it a learned response to human feeding or indifference.

The numbers the department gives are small. The April 2023 AZGFD release counts 24 coyote attacks on people in the Phoenix metro area over the previous 26 years, including two attacks on toddlers in Scottsdale with minor injuries. The 2015 brochure reported 18 bites in Maricopa County between 1997 and 2014, 15 attributed to people feeding the coyotes. The department notes that small children can be at risk, but that in Arizona it is rare for a coyote to bite any human.

University of Florida extension, writing about its own state, reports a study of coyote bites on people in the United States and Canada from 1960 to 2006 that found 142 instances, about three a year, and says the risk from coyotes is far smaller than from domestic dogs. University of California IPM, on the other hand, reports that urban coyotes may lose their fear of people and that some have become aggressive, citing more than 160 attacks in California since the 1970s. The sources agree on the cause: loss of fear, not a change in the animal’s nature.

Because these sources describe different states and different years, we do not combine them into a single “risk rate” for Arizona. What the agencies do agree on is what to watch for:

• A coyote that does not move away when you yell, face it or approach a building.
• A coyote that approaches people, children or pets.
• A coyote that is regularly fed, intentionally or not, in your block.

If you see these, keep your distance and call. The Who to Call page lists the agencies, and the encounter reporting page explains how to report what you saw.

Why feeding and indifference matter

AZGFD’s central message is that the neighborhood, not the individual coyote, sets the behavior. If there is a regular coyote food source in one yard on your block, the department says, coyotes will be active throughout the neighborhood. All potential food sources must be removed to keep coyotes from becoming dangerously comfortable around humans.

This includes pet food left outdoors, food scraps and unsecured garbage. University of Florida extension notes that urban coyotes often feed on items provided by humans either intentionally or unintentionally, such as pet food left outdoors and scraps in unsecured garbage.

AZGFD also says an indifferent attitude toward a coyote in your yard has the same effect as feeding it. That is a different message from “ignore wildlife”. If a coyote is in your yard, the department says, you need to make the animal aware it is not welcome. Its brochure lists what residents can do: do not feed wildlife, store garbage inside or in wildlife-proof containers, put trash containers out at the last possible time on collection day, feed pets inside or remove uneaten pet food between feedings, trim back plants and bushes around the house to prevent hiding or resting places, and install outdoor lighting.

Feeding is also a legal issue. AZGFD’s April 2023 news release says it is unlawful to feed wildlife, except birds and tree squirrels, in Maricopa, Pinal and Pima counties under A.R.S. 13-2927, and that some cities and counties have their own ordinances. The department says feeding makes coyotes lose their fear of people. (The 2015 brochure named only Maricopa and Pima and cited fines of up to $300; we rely on the newer release for the counties.) Checked on 2026-11-14 against the AZGFD pages, not the statute text; confirm with AZGFD and your local animal control.

When are coyotes most active?

University of California IPM says coyotes are most active after dusk and before daylight. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln wildlife damage center gives a more detailed picture: they are most active at night and in early morning during hot summer weather, while daytime activity is more likely during mating and breeding seasons, in cool weather and when human activity is low. It also says coyotes usually hunt alone or in pairs.

So a coyote seen at dawn or dusk fits the pattern, and a daytime sighting in winter is not by itself alarming. We found no Arizona agency statement that treats a daytime sighting as a sign of rabies or other illness, and we do not suggest one. A coyote that looks sick, moves oddly or does not show normal wariness is a different matter: keep your distance and call AZGFD or animal control.

What residents can do without feeding, trapping or harming coyotes

AZGFD says you must “aggressively discourage” coyotes from feeling comfortable around you and your family. The brochure ties that to four actions: never intentionally feeding coyotes, eliminating attractants (including pet food) from your yard, using aggressive gestures toward coyotes when you see them, and encouraging neighbors to do the same. It describes a unified neighborhood effort as crucial.

For the gestures, the department’s approach if a coyote approaches is to never approach it, keep eye contact, yell or make loud noises with whistles, music or banging pots and pans, avoid running (which can stimulate the chase instinct), pick up small pets, protect small children so they do not panic and run, act as large and threatening as possible, and move toward an area with other people or a building. The brochure also describes a “coyote shaker,” a can filled with washers, pebbles or pennies, wrapped in foil and taped closed.

We describe only noise, eye contact, standing large, not running and moving toward people. AZGFD lists further deterrents; this guide focuses on noise and distance. We do not repeat any method that involves throwing objects or chemicals, and this site does not advise trapping, relocating, poisoning or shooting coyotes. AZGFD says coyotes can only be captured or killed by someone with a proper license from the department, or in defense of yourself or another person, and to check local ordinances on firearms and traps.

Our own precaution, not a quote from a source: do not try to haze a coyote that looks sick, is cornered, is near a den or seems to be guarding pups. Keep your distance and call AZGFD or animal control.

Does hazing work, and for how long?

University of California IPM cautions that hazing provides only temporary effectiveness, if any, and that in the absence of any real threat coyotes quickly adapt to sounds, flashing lights and similar devices. That is a California extension note dated 2007, and it is one reason AZGFD stresses removing the food and cover that attract coyotes in the first place, and a neighborhood-wide approach, rather than relying on scare tactics alone.

Emergency numbers and what AZGFD will and will not do

AZGFD (current Living with Coyotes page and April 2023 news release, both accessed 2026-11-14) says that if a coyote attacks a person, you should report it to the department or call 911, and that anyone who is bitten should seek medical care immediately. Its 24-hour Communications Center for wildlife acting aggressively toward people is 623-236-7201 (confirm before relying on it). If a coyote is approaching or has bitten someone, call 911. For a pet that has been attacked, call your vet first.

AZGFD does not respond to calls to relocate or remove coyotes unless there is a public-safety concern; for removal on private property it points residents to a licensed wildlife-removal business. The news release says predators that attacked people or show predatory or aggressive behavior toward people are removed lethally only as a last resort and cannot be relocated for public-safety reasons, and that removal does not help if attractants remain. Pima Animal Care Center dispatch is 520-724-5900 ext. 4 (pima.gov; confirm before relying on it).

Feeding wildlife (except birds and tree squirrels) is unlawful in Maricopa, Pinal and Pima counties under A.R.S. 13-2927, according to the AZGFD news release; some cities and counties have their own ordinances. Checked on 2026-11-14; confirm with AZGFD and your local animal control.

Rabies and coyotes

AZGFD says coyotes can be rabid, but that Arizona Department of Health Services records show an extremely low occurrence of rabid coyotes in the state. University of Florida extension says a bite or scratch from any wild or free-ranging mammal merits immediate medical attention.

The CDC’s rabies page advises washing bites or scratches immediately with soap and water after a possible rabies exposure and urgently seeking medical attention. It also advises keeping pets up to date on rabies vaccines and keeping wildlife wild by staying away from wild animals. If you or a pet has had any contact with a wild animal, call your doctor or vet and local animal control. The CDC page we opened does not list signs of rabies in animals, so we do not list any here.

What we could not source

• Arizona-specific daily or seasonal activity patterns beyond the extension and university statements above.
• The 2015-brochure bite statistics (Maricopa County, 1997 to 2014) and the Arizona Department of Health Services rabies statement are not repeated on AZGFD’s current pages as captured; they are labeled as from the older brochure. The April 2023 AZGFD release counts 24 coyote attacks on people in the Phoenix metro area in the previous 26 years, which is a different count.
• Neighborhood-level sighting counts for Green Valley or Pima County.

Where to go next

• Back to the coyote information hub.
• Coyote tracks, scat and other signs
• Coyote vs dog, fox and bobcat: how to tell them apart
• Coyote breeding and pup season in Arizona
• Protecting pets and children from coyotes