Greater roadrunner

Greater Roadrunner
	Greater Roadrunner in West Texas
Conservation status
	; Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Cuculiformes
Family:	Cuculidae
Genus:	Geococcyx
Species:	G. californianus
Binomial name
	Geococcyx californianus; (Lesson, 1829)
	Distribution map of the Greater Roadrunner.

The Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) is a long-legged bird in the cuckoo family, Cuculidae. It is one of the two roadrunner species in the genus Geococcyx, the other Lesser Roadrunner. This roadrunner is also known as the Chaparral Cock.

Description

The roadrunner is about 56 centimetres (22 in) long and weighs about 300 grams (10.5 oz), and is the largest North American cuckoo. The adult has a bushy crest and long thick dark bill. It has a long dark tail, a dark head and back, and is pale on the front of the neck and on the belly. Roadrunners have four toes on each foot; two face forward, and two face backward.

Habitat

The breeding habitat is desert and shrubby country in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It can be seen in the US states of California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Oklahoma, Kansas,and rarely in Arkansas, Missouri, and Louisiana. The Roadrunner is the state bird of New Mexico.

Behavior

The Greater Roadrunner nests on a platform of sticks low in cactus or a bush and lays 3-6 eggs which hatch in 20 days. The chicks fledge in another 18 days. Pairs may occasionally rear a second brood.

This bird walks rapidly about, running down prey or occasionally jumping up to catch insects or birds. It mainly feeds on insects, small reptiles, rodents, tarantulas, scorpions and small birds.

Although capable of flight, it spends most of its time on the ground, and can run at speeds of 24 km/h (15 miles per hour) or more.

Popular culture

The Greater Roadrunner is the state bird of New Mexico, USA.
The Greater Roadrunner is the mascot of California State University, Bakersfield, College of the Desert (Palm Desert, CA), Metropolitan State College of Denver, State Fair Community College (Sedalia, Missouri), Midland College (Midland, Texas), the College of DuPage (DuPage County, Illinois) and the University of Texas at San Antonio.
Some Pueblo Indian tribes, such as the Hopi, believed that the roadrunner provided protection against evil spirits.^{[citation needed]}
The Greater Roadrunner serves loosely as the basis for the character Road Runner in the Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner cartoon shorts by Chuck Jones.

Image gallery

Roadrunner with lizard
Moorpark, CA
Greater Roadrunner at the Henry Doorly Zoo
Roadrunner in Lake Havasu City, AZ
New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM

Albuquerque, NM
Albuquerque, NM
Near Oatman, AZ
Near Oatman, AZ
Greater Roadrunner at Death Valley National Park, California.

References

Template:IUCN2006 Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
"Geococcyx californianus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. 9 February. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)

External links