Coyote on a Trumpeter Swan kill. As we drove along The Hayden Valley in Yellowstone National Park, we came upon this Coyote which had taken a Trumpeter Swan. The Coyote was exhausted from taking such a large and powerful bird. The extent of the struggle could be seen from the disturbance to the snow around the kill. A Coyote weighs around 13kg and a Trumpeter Swan can weigh over 11kg and has a wingspan of 2.5m. It is a very formidable prey item! Eventually, the Coyote regained its strength and began to feast on the unfortunate bird. Having had its fill, the Coyote ate some snow, then rolled around and bulldozed through the snow to clean its whiskers – looking faintly ridiculous as it did so. A Coyote on a Trumpeter Swan kill is not a common sight.
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