What is a Greater Roadrunner
Greater Roadrunner Overview
Can run up to 18 mph (30 km/h).
They will attack, kill and eat small rattlesnakes, but it is not immune to their poison, so must hunt carefully.
The roadrunner’s comical gait, its erectile crest, and perky tail movements combine to make this bird a humourous desert character whose antics entertain in film cartoons as well as in the wild.
Photo courtesy of Nikki Zahn Miller of Nevada Lovers Group
Taxonomy
Greater Roadrunner – Geococcyx californianus
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Aves
- Order: Cuculiformes
- Family: Cuculidae
- Genus: Geococcyx
- Species: G. californianus
Size and Body Description
Crested head with a long, heavy bill.
Runs very rapidly on the ground or makes great leaps and bounds but only low, short bursts of flight.
Color: dark brown, heavily streaked with black and white; light brown underside, with brown streaks on breast.
Photo courtesy of Nikki Zahn Miller of Nevada Lovers Group
Length
Slender bird, 20 to 24 inches (61 cm) long.
Diet
Reproduction
Range
Throughout the southwestern United States to Mexico.
Where Found
Creosote Bush Scrub to open Pinyon-Jupiter Woodland
How Long do Greater Roadrunner Live
Greater Roadrunner Diet
Lizards (80% of diet), insects, snakes, baby birds, and rats.
Water Sources
Protection
Colorings aids in absorbing heat during winter, conserving bird’s energy resources when food is scarce.
Breeds in spring, when supply of prey becomes adequate.
Carnivorous diet supplies moisture, and can reabsorb water from feces before excreting.
Nasal gland removes excess salt from water produced in this process.
FAQ
Related Content
Additional Photos
References Used
a cute roadrunner in the arizona desert