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← Identification guidesSide-by-side field guide

Red fox or coyote?

Compare overall build, ears, face, and tail before deciding which canid you saw.

Scope: North America · Last updated 2026-07-16

Red fox at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. — Photo: Holly Keepers / USFWS · Public domain

Red fox

VS

Coyote resting on snowy ground in winter sunlight. — Photo: Lori Iverson / USFWS · Public domain

Coyote

Build [1][2]

Usually low, slim, and relatively short-legged

Usually taller, lean, and long-legged

A dark gray wolf standing with one hind leg raised on a snow-covered road. — Field frame · Editorial contextA contextual view from How mammals communicate by scent.Image: A single female wolf leaves her scent in the road during the breeding season (51784666827) by Jacob W. Frank / National Park Service · Public domain

Tail [1][2]

Very full; often has a clear white tip

Less luxuriant; often dark-tipped and carried low

Coyote standing on an urban golf course in Scottsdale shortly after sunrise.

A careful ID

Use the whole view

Coat color varies and distance distorts size. Use several traits together, then record uncertainty when the view is brief. [1][2]

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SOURCES & STATUS

Source-checked editorial guide. Last updated 2026-07-16.

National Wildlife Federation — Red Fox ↗
National Park Service — Coyote ↗

02

Field frame · Editorial contextCoyote standing on an urban golf course in Scottsdale shortly after sunrise.A contextual view from Urban wildlife coexistence basics.Image: Urban Coyote by Dru Bloomfield · CC BY 2.0 · Resized and converted to WebP; displayed with a crop.

Face [1][2]

Fine muzzle with dark-backed ears

Longer muzzle with proportionally tall ears

Two young red foxes nuzzling and play-biting together in the grass. — Field frame · Editorial contextA contextual view from Why animals play.Image: Red fox kits.jpg by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service · Public domain