Coyote Chorus and Wolf Songs
I love listening to the vocalizations of coyotes. At my home in Tucson, I frequently hear the pack singing their chorus of yips and howls. My local pack is rather high-pitched, but not jarringly so. I especially enjoy when they hear fire and police sirens and start singing along!
For the first time during a stay at my friend’s cabin in Overgaard, Arizona, I heard a pack of canids consistently singing and calling to each other. What struck me was that their pitches were much lower. This made me curious: Do coyotes in different areas have different “voices”—are the ones in Tucson sopranos and the ones in Overgaard altos? Is the singing learned, taught to the pups, or is it innate? What determines the singing pitch?
Sopranos of the Sonoran, Altos of the East
It turns out that coyotes do have regional dialects and different local vocalizations. Interestingly, coyotes in the eastern United States tend to have deeper howls because they are physically larger and more aggressive. Western coyotes, like the ones I hear in Tucson, are smaller and typically have the higher-pitched vocalizations.
Furthermore, family groups have a unique signature howl. This distinctive sound allows them to identify family members versus strangers, as they certainly don’t want just any coyote joining their conversations.
Was That a Wolf?
However, there was another distinct possibility for the lower-pitched calls I heard: maybe they weren’t coyotes after all. Could they have been wolves? Time for more research!
Wolf and coyote vocalizations differ. Wolves sing with deep, melodic howls. Thinking back, the calls I heard didn’t include any of the characteristic yips and barks of the coyote. The lower pitch of the wolf’s howl allows them to communicate over longer distances. Coyotes, with their smaller territories, don’t need their high-pitched calls to travel very far.
But is it realistic that those were wolves? Are there wolves in the Overgaard area?
Yes! This is the area of the White Mountains where the Mexican gray wolves (Canis lupus baileyi) were introduced. Overgaard is, in fact, the central hub for the wolf reintroduction program. These beautiful animals were released starting in 1998 and are actively managed.
I truly wish I had recorded the howling while I was there. Hopefully, this won’t be the only time I get to experience the amazing music of the wolf.
Delve Deeper into Arizona’s Wild Side!
Do you have a young reader who loves learning about the Sonoran Desert’s amazing animals, like the coyote? Check out my “The Don’t” series of books and workbooks for more fun, science-based adventures!
