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Abstract Morphology and behavior are fundamental components of ecology because phenotypic variation influences the distribution and abundance of species, interspecific interactions, and community assemblages. Hybridization and introgression can increase phenotypic variation when novel traits accompany new genetic variants. Assessing the adaptive role of introgression requires linking increased phenotypic variation to ecologically relevant population processes such as reproduction, survival, emigration, and immigration. Recent research confirmed significant red wolf ( Canis rufus ) ancestry in coyote ( Canis latrans ) populations along the coastal region of the Texas–Louisiana border, USA, where the last known red wolves existed prior to their extirpation from the wild. Coyotes in this region are referred to as “Gulf Coast canids” by some because the magnitude and impact of the observed introgression are not well understood yet. We conducted a phenotypic assessment of Gulf Coast canids to explore whether these canids are red wolf‐coyote hybrids, or a wetland ecotype of the coyote formed during the coyote's initial colonization of the southeastern United States. We concluded that Gulf Coast canids are a wetland ecotype of the coyote derived from a mid‐20th‐century red wolf‐coyote hybrid swarm. Our assessment indicates that Gulf Coast canids are tall, lanky coyotes with post‐cranial traits similar to red wolf‐coyote hybrids. However, their head sizes are coyote‐like. Gulf Coast canids exhibited strong selection for wetland land cover such as large river floodplains and coastal saltwater wetlands, limiting their potential distribution to the coastal wetlands of the Gulf of Mexico. We observed little use of white‐tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus ) and significant use of nutria ( Myocastor coypus ) by Gulf Coast canids, food habits that differ significantly from those of the surrounding coyote populations. Finally, high annual survival rates indicate that Gulf Coast canids could potentially be a source population for the region and be responsible for the persistence of red wolf ancestry in coyotes along coastal Texas and Louisiana.