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Biologist Michael Bottini of Seatuck said he expects coyotes to eventually establish territory across all of Long Island.
Over the past decade, the Eastern Coyote has established itself as Long Island’s top land predator — preying on, and competing with, smaller animals such as mice, rats, red foxes and raccoons as it continues to move east.
Long Island’s first official coyote was documented in Queens in 2009.
Then in 2016, eight pups were born near LaGuardia Airport.
Since then, the medium-sized canines have spread throughout northern Nassau County and are beginning to appear on the South Shore and in Suffolk.
“Long Island happens to be the largest landmass in North America that coyotes haven’t yet colonized,” said Michael Bottini, wildlife biologist at the Seatuck Environmental Association, which is headquartered in Islip.
So far, no breeding has been confirmed in Suffolk County, though in 2021 the first coyote was spotted (and pictured) on the western end of Fire Island at Robert Moses, according to the National Park Service.
And on May 21, a Kings Park resident, Brian Barr, shared video footage and backyard camera photos of what very much appears to be a coyote in the North Shore hamlet at night.
“Caught a coyote on my cameras last night in the Charter Oaks area of KP,” he wrote. “Has anyone else seen one around?”
Kings park photos & video
Also late last month, a user of the Ring app reported seeing a coyote in Southards Pond Park in Babylon.
“It stopped to stare and I ran, which I shouldn’t have done,” the user wrote. “Saw it near the end of the main straight trail.”
Experts say to expect more sightings as the years progress.
The DNA
The Eastern Coyote that’s now colonizing Long Island first showed up in New York in the 1930s.
And it’s different from the Western Coyote.
For one, they’re significantly larger.
These coyotes were each photographed by trail cameras in North Hempstead in 2024 (courtesy photos)
Bottini said when he was studying at St. Lawrence University in the 1970s, his ecology professor was researching “an animal that was smaller than a wolf and bigger than a typical Western Coyote.”
At the time, the assumption was that Western Coyotes had interbred with domestic dogs on their way from Canada.
But DNA tests later revealed something different: About 20 to 30 percent of the Eastern Coyote’s DNA is from wolves, 10 percent from domestic dogs, and the rest from the Western Coyote.
Now that the genetic workup is known, Bottini said some ecologists are calling for the Eastern Coyote to be described as a new species altogether.
“I’m excited about having a new species like this on Long Island,” Bottini said. “We could certainly use a mesopredator.”
Why they matter
Long ago, apex predators like wolves and bobcats roamed Long Island.
But they were wiped out by extirpation programs in the 1600s and 1700s. Since then, raccoons and red foxes have filled the vacuum — and their numbers often explode without any predators to keep them in check.
“There’s no control of their numbers,” Bottini said. “So their population does this boom and bust cycle, and when they get superabundant, both of these species develop a disease — in the fox, it’s the mange, and in the raccoon, it’s mostly canine distemper.”
A recent coyote diet study showed that the animals are feeding on raccoons and foxes — though Bottini noted some of those meals could’ve been roadkill. Still, the coyotes seem to be taking advantage of Long Island’s massive raccoon population.
“We can’t say they really made a dent in the raccoon population, but we were surprised to see that raccoons made up a significant component of their diet,” Bottini said.
Coyotes aren’t expected to help with Long Island’s deer population either, despite a common rumor.
“Unfortunately, the coyotes won’t help with the deer problem,” Bottini said, “but it can help out with some other things in terms of balancing out the impact of these small rodents.”
Living with coyotes
There’s a persistent claim that the state Department of Environmental Conservation introduced coyotes to address deer overpopulation.
Bottini said that’s false.
He explained that coyotes rarely go out of their way to hunt deer — especially when roadkill offers an easier meal. It’s the same with raccoons.
“As word of the pending colonization spreads, Long Islanders, like many others before them, will reasonably be concerned about safety,” reads an online briefing by the Seatuck Environmental Association.
“But coyotes have demonstrated across the country that they can live harmoniously in proximity to people, even in densely populated areas. While some level of conflicts (including confrontations with people and pets) are inevitable, most can be avoided. But only if we take the simple, tested steps to prevent them.”
Among those tips: Don’t leave out pet food or unsecured garbage, keep pets close at night, and scare coyotes away by waving your arms or making loud noises. Never approach a coyote, and don’t let pets or children do so either.
The state DEC adds that if a coyote appears unusually bold or shows no fear of people, call your local police or DEC regional office.
“Teach children to appreciate coyotes from a distance,” the DEC’s website says. “Children are at greatest risk of being injured by coyotes. If a coyote has been observed repeatedly near an area where children frequent, be watchful.”
As for what comes next, Bottini said he expects coyotes to eventually establish territory across all of Long Island.
The bigger question?
“Whether the coyotes will start interbreeding with themselves,” Bottini said, “or if they’ll interbreed with other animals like feral dogs.”
