Do bird feeders attract coyotes?

The short answer

• Yes, and directly. Edmonton researchers found birdseed in about a third of coyote scats collected next to homes, about as often as small rodents. The rodent story is real, but it is not the whole story.
• In a 2023 Edmonton camera trial, coyotes visited feeders in 38 of 43 yards, mostly at night, and visited sunflower feeders significantly more often than mixed-seed feeders.
• A 30 in seed catcher under the feeder did not significantly cut coyote or rodent visits in that short autumn trial. Clearing the ground still helps, but do not expect a catcher alone to fix it.
• If coyotes are in the yard regularly, take the feeders down. Connecticut's wildlife agency says so plainly. If you keep feeding, drop sunflower, keep seed off the ground and hang feeders at least 5 ft up.
• Several cities already regulate this. Azusa and Seal Beach, California ban feeding coyotes outright; Laguna Woods fines improperly kept bird feeders up to $500; Fanwood, New Jersey and The Colony, Texas require feeders at least 5 ft above the ground.

Yes. Coyotes come to bird feeders, and they come for the seed as well as for the animals it feeds. In Edmonton, University of Alberta researchers report that birdseed turns up in about a third of coyote scats collected next to homes, about as often as the remains of small rodents. If coyotes are in your yard regularly, take the feeders down. If you keep feeding, stop putting sunflower on the ground and clear the spill before dark.

Two answers circulate. One says feeders draw coyotes, so remove them. The other says coyotes do not eat seed, they eat the mice and squirrels at the feeder, so the feeder is innocent. The second one persists because it is half true: seed does feed rodents, and rodents do feed coyotes. But the Edmonton researchers describe birdseed as "regularly consumed by urban coyotes," so the seed is food in its own right. The feeder is not innocent.

What the field studies actually found#

Three pieces of evidence get quoted, and they measure different things.

A fourth figure, "at least one and a half times more likely," comes from a Kansas State wildlife specialist quoted in 2023 about coyotes and red foxes in yards with feeders. The article cites no study for it, so treat it as an expert's estimate.

Read together: the North Carolina work says feeders pack a yard with squirrels and other small mammals, but that the extra prey alone does little to raise predator numbers. The Edmonton work says coyotes come to the feeder anyway, and eat what is under it. That is why the seed, not the mouse, is the part you control.

Is that a coyote at the feeder?#

Most people find the evidence rather than the animal, because Keller and St. Clair logged most coyote visits at night. A coyote is bigger than people expect: ICWDM gives western males 25 to 45 lb and eastern males an average of 45 lb. Seed gone from the ground but nothing climbed or pried open points to a ground feeder, and on our night raiders page the coyote shares that list with skunks, opossums and, in the desert Southwest, javelina. A camera for one night settles it.

The Edmonton cameras also caught rodents, red squirrels, flying squirrels, rabbits, deer, skunks, red foxes, cats and dogs at the same feeders. A coyote is rarely the only thing eating there.

If you keep the feeder: four changes#

1. Take sunflower out of the yard. The Edmonton trial found coyotes visited sunflower feeders significantly more often than mixed-seed feeders, and the authors suggest seeds other than sunflower. That compared sunflower with mixes only; nobody has tested safflower or nyjer against coyotes. They are still the obvious swap, because they keep most of your birds and take black oil sunflower off the menu. Safflower is taken by:

• Top-tier favorite for: Northern Cardinal
• Eaten readily by: Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, House Finch, Purple Finch, Mourning Dove, Rose-breasted Grosbeak
• Taken occasionally by: Blue Jay, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, American Goldfinch, Lesser Goldfinch, Dark-eyed Junco, White-throated Sparrow, Eastern Towhee, Evening Grosbeak, Steller's Jay, California Scrub-Jay

1. Nothing on the ground after dark. No scattered corn, no ground feeder, no low platform tray left out overnight. Rake or sweep under the feeder in the late afternoon. Visits are mostly at night, so the ground at dusk is what matters.
2. Do not count on a seed catcher. In the Edmonton trial a 30 in hoop under the feeder did not significantly reduce coyote or rodent visits. The authors put that partly down to a short autumn study in yards next to green space, so a catcher you empty daily may still help. It is not a fix by itself. How much falls, and why cheap mixes make it worse, is in seed waste and mess.
3. Hang feeders at least 5 ft up. No study tested height against coyotes, but two of the city codes below write it into law, and a pole with a baffle at that height keeps squirrels from flinging seed onto the ground as well.

Fewer feeders helps too. The Edmonton authors list removing feeders or minimizing their number alongside the seed change.

When to take it down#

Connecticut's wildlife agency is blunt: "Remove bird feeders, which can attract coyotes and their prey." It adds that feeding coyotes "whether directly or indirectly" can make them act tame and lead to bold behavior. Our working rule from that guidance:

• A coyote seen once, passing at night. Keep feeding, apply the four changes, watch the ground.
• Coyotes seen in the yard on several days, or in daylight near the house. Take the feeders down and clear the ground until the visits stop.
• A coyote that approaches people or pets. Feeders down, and call your state wildlife agency or city animal services.

Birds will not starve while you pause. Feeders are a supplement for most species, which is the point of do birds depend on feeders.

Pets, fences and hazing#

The real cost of a coyote at the feeder is a cat or a small dog. Connecticut says to keep dogs leashed and supervised outside and cats indoors or in a secure enclosure. A cat that hunts at the feeder is a problem for the birds as well, which is covered under cats and feeders.

To haze a coyote, both say the same: move toward it, wave your arms, yell, use a whistle or air horn, and keep at it until it leaves.

Where it is already the law#

There is no national rule. City codes vary from an outright ban that reaches birdseed to a ban that exempts bird feeders by name.

Two readings worth stating. Seal Beach's exemption is written for birds in an enclosure, which a backyard feeder is not; that is our reading of the code text, so ask the city before relying on it. And Laguna Woods did not ban feeders: it bans running one badly, which in practice means seed on the ground.

Arizona's feeding statute follows the same pattern: birds are exempt, but seed that keeps wildlife coming back is not. In bear country some states go further and name the feeder itself.

Where this page stops#

• The evidence is thin. One camera trial in one city over one autumn, one scat study and one yard survey. No study has tested seed type, feeder height or catchers against coyotes in the US.
• Codes change. Laguna Woods rewrote its rule in 2026. We read Azusa and Fanwood from the ordinance text, the rest from city pages and local reporting. Check your own city code.
• Canada. We did not check provincial or municipal rules outside the Edmonton research.

The same spill feeds rats and mice, and the squirrels the North Carolina cameras found in such numbers are handled on our squirrels page. Every other symptom is matched to its cause on the problems hub.

Frequently asked questions#

Do coyotes eat bird seed?

Yes. Researchers at the University of Alberta report that birdseed turns up in about a third of coyote scats collected where Edmonton's residential areas meet the river valley, about as often as the remains of small rodents, and they describe birdseed as regularly consumed by urban coyotes. So a coyote under your feeder may be eating the spill itself as well as hunting the mice and squirrels that the spill feeds.

Should I take down my bird feeder if I see a coyote?

If you see coyotes in the yard regularly, yes. Connecticut's Department of Energy and Environmental Protection tells residents to remove bird feeders, which can attract coyotes and their prey. A single coyote passing through at night is different: clear the ground under the feeder before dark, bring cats in and keep small dogs leashed, and watch whether it comes back.

Does a seed catcher under the feeder stop coyotes?

Not on the evidence so far. In a 2023 Edmonton trial, 30 in seed hoops were hung under feeders in some yards and compared with yards without them. Coyote and rodent visits did not drop significantly. The authors suggest the short autumn study period and the yards' location beside green space may explain that, so the result is not proof that catchers never help. It does mean a catcher is not a fix on its own.

Is it illegal to feed coyotes?

In many cities, yes, and some codes reach birdseed. Azusa, California bans feeding coyotes and other wild mammals but exempts birds. Seal Beach makes it unlawful to feed any nondomesticated animal. Laguna Woods fines anything reasonably likely to feed coyotes or rodents, including improperly kept bird feeders, at $100, $200 and $500. Warwick, Rhode Island bans feeding coyotes. Check your own city code: there is no single national rule.

Which bird seed attracts coyotes least?

No study has ranked seeds for coyotes. The one direct comparison, in Edmonton, found coyotes visited feeders offering sunflower significantly more often than feeders offering mixed seed, and the authors suggest offering seeds other than sunflower. Safflower in a hanging feeder or nyjer in a finch tube keeps most of your birds while taking sunflower out of the yard, but neither was tested against coyotes.

Sources and further reading

1. Attraction to birdseed by non-target wildlife and implications for management of urban coyotes (Canis latrans), Journal of Urban Ecology 11(1), 2025 Abby L. Keller and Colleen Cassady St. Clair, University of Alberta 43 Edmonton yards, Oct to Dec 2023; coyotes at feeders in 38 of 43; most coyote visits at night; sunflower feeders visited significantly more often than mixed seed; 30 in seed hoops did not significantly reduce coyote or rodent detections; birdseed in a third of scats at the residential edge; suggest non-sunflower seed or fewer feeders
2. Coyote researcher seeks volunteers to test birdseed theory (15 Aug 2023) Taproot Edmonton About 30% of coyote scat near homes contained birdseed, about as common as small rodent remains (Edmonton Urban Coyote Project)
3. Scientists Find That Backyards May Be Good for Wildlife (26 Oct 2020) NC State University News, on Hansen et al., Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 58 yards near Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill; purposeful feeding had the strongest effect on animal abundance; prey would need to rise 713 times to double predators
4. Danger near the bird feeder? K-State wildlife expert urges caution (20 Jun 2023) High Plains Journal, quoting Drew Ricketts, Kansas State University Coyotes and red foxes at least one and a half times more likely in yards with bird feeders; no study cited
5. Living with Coyotes Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Remove bird feeders, which can attract coyotes and their prey; indirect feeding can make coyotes bold; 6 ft fence with about 1 ft underground; hazing; leash dogs, keep cats in
6. Coyote Damage Prevention and Control Methods Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management Fence at least 5.5 ft, mesh under 6 in horizontal and 4 in vertical; charged trip wire 6 to 8 in up and 8 to 10 in outside; remove bird feeders; hazing
7. Coyotes Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management Western males 25 to 45 lb, females 22 to 35 lb; eastern males average 45 lb, females about 30 lb
8. Ordinance No. 2018-04, Sec. 46-324 Feeding of Wildlife Prohibited City of Azusa, California No feeding non-domesticated mammalian wildlife including coyotes, squirrels, mice and rats; birds exempt; adopted 1 Oct 2018
9. The city code says it's illegal to feed wildlife, including coyotes (6 Aug 2026) The Sun (Seal Beach) Seal Beach Sec. 7.05.100: unlawful to feed any nondomesticated animal; exemption for wild birds confined in an enclosure on private property; infraction; officer must witness
10. New Wildlife Feeding Rules Take Effect (16 Apr 2026) Laguna Woods Village City ordinance prohibits maintaining bird feeders improperly and leaving food outdoors that could reach coyotes and rodents
11. Laguna Woods Outlines Fines, Stricter Rules Against Feeding Wildlife (12 Jun 2026) Voice of OC In effect April 2026; $100, $200 and $500 within a year; 19 residents raised coyote concerns in February
12. Ordinance 15-05-03, Chapter 300 Article III Wildlife Borough of Fanwood, New Jersey, Board of Health Songbird feeding allowed if it does not attract rodents or other wildlife and feeders are at least 5 ft above the ground; $100 to $500, each day a separate offense up to $2,000; adopted 5 Aug 2015
13. Wildlife Ordinances (Sec. 5-24) City of The Colony, Texas Unlawful to put out food for animals other than domesticated animals, songbirds or hummingbirds; bird feeder at least 5 ft above the ground
14. Black coyote duo draws interest, concern in Oakland Beach (19 Apr 2023) WJAR NBC 10 Warwick, RI: feeding coyotes subject to a $500 fine or up to 30 days