Greater Roadrunner

Geococcyx californianus

Compiled by Niyati Acharya

Armed with a battery of physiological and behavioral adaptations, the Greater Roadrunner thrives in arid regions, in the Colorado foothills, and among the pines of western Louisiana. An opportunistic predator, it feeds on snakes, lizards, spiders, scorpions, insects, birds, rodents, and bats, which it beats repeatedly against a hard substrate before consuming.  During severe food shortages, it may eat its own young.

The greater roadrunner is a member of the cuckoo family.  It is a ground bird that is 20.5-21.3 inches (52-54.1 cm) in length with a wingspan of around 19.3 inches (49 cm).

It has speckled brown and black feathers on its back and wings, and a lighter throat and chest with dark stripes. It has long legs, a very long tail, and yellow eyes. It has a crest on its head, and the male has a red and blue patch of skin on the side of its head.  The roadrunner gets its name from its great running ability. When it is startled, it runs instead of flying away. It is a poor flyer but can run at speeds of up to 15 miles per hour (24.1 kph). It uses its long tail as a type of rudder to help it keep its balance while running.   The greater roadrunner has a lifespan of 7-8 years in the wild.

Roadrunners can reach speeds of up to 20 miles per hour while running and prefer to run or walk over flight.  They can fly but airborne time only lasts a few seconds.  They have been observed snatching insects from leaves, ambushing prey at feeders, in nest boxes, and even knocking low flying birds from the air.

According to a study by The Journal of Field Ornithology, male roadrunners prefer mesquite woodland and mesquite savanna cover types and avoid the grass-forb cover types.  Female roadrunners prefer mesquite savanna and riparian woodland cover types and avoid grass-forb habitats.  Current land use practices that target woody-shrub removal to enhance livestock forage production could be detrimental to roadrunner populations by reducing the availability of mesquite woodland and mesquite savanna habitat required for nesting and roosting,  and increasing the amount of grass-forb habitat that roadrunners avoid.

Sources include: Birds of the world.org, natureworks.nhpbs.org, leerichardsonzoo.org,  usgs.gov

Photo credit:  Pos, Robert/USFWS, Drew, Aaron/USFWS, Magera, John/USFWS, Hillebrand, Steve/USFWS