Roadrunners
Greater Roadrunner, Geococcyx californiana
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Cuculiformes Family: Cuculidae Genus: Geococcyx Wagler, 1831
Species
G. californianus G. velox Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (3456x2304, 4030 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Greater Roadrunner Geococcyx Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used... Binomial name Geococcyx californianus (Lesson, 1829) The Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) is a large, long-legged bird in the cuckoo family, Cuculidae. ... For other uses, see Scientific classification (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Animal (disambiguation). ... Typical Classes See below Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates. ... For other uses, see Bird (disambiguation). ... Families Musophagidae Cuculidae Opisthocomidae The near passerine bird order Cuculiformes traditionally included three families as below: Order Cuculiformes Family Musophagidae: turacos and allies Family Cuculidae: cuckoos Family Opisthocomidae: Hoatzin However, the taxonomy of this group is now controversial. ... Genera See text. ... Johann Georg Wagler (1800 - 1832) was a German herpetologist. ... Leopold I 1831 (MDCCCXXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...

The roadrunners are two species of bird in the genus Geococcyx of the cuckoo family, Cuculidae, native to North and Central America. These two species are the ground foraging cuckoos. Roadrunners are two species of bird in the genus Geococcyx of the cuckoo family Cuculidae, which are native to North and Central America. ... For other uses, see Bird (disambiguation). ... Genera See text. ... North America North America is a continent[1] in the Earths northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. ... For other uses, see Central America (disambiguation). ...

• Greater Roadrunner, Geococcyx californianus (southwestern United States)
  • Conkling's Roadrunner, Geococcyx californianus conklingi - prehistoric
• Lesser Roadrunner, Geococcyx velox (Mexico and Central America)

Binomial name Geococcyx californianus (Lesson, 1829) The Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) is a large, long-legged bird in the cuckoo family, Cuculidae. ... Prehistoric birds are various taxa of birds that became extinct before recorded history, or more precisely, before they could be studied alive by bird scientists. ... Binomial name Geococcyx velox (Wagner, 1836) The Lesser Roadrunner, Geococcyx velox, is a large, long-legged member of the Cuckoo family, Cuculidae. ...

Morphology

Roadrunner species generally range in size from 18-24 inches in length from tail to beak. The roadrunner is large, slender, black-brown and white streaked ground bird with a distinctive head crest. It has long legs, strong feet, and an oversized dark bill. The tail is broad with white tips on the 3 outer tail feathers. They have a blank patch of skin behind the eye that is shaded blue proximally to red distally. The lesser roadrunner is slightly smaller, not as streaky, and has a smaller bill. They are large long-legged birds with long thick dark bills and long dark tails. They are terrestrial, and although capable of flight, they spend most of their time on the ground. During flight the wings are short and rounded and reveal a white crescent in the primary feathers. Roadrunners and other members of the cuckoo family have zygodactyl feet (two toes in front and two toes in back). Roadrunners are able to run up to 15 miles per hour and generally prefer sprinting to flying.

Songs

The roadrunner has a dove-like "coo" that is slow and descending.

• Link to a greater roadrunner call

Geographic range

The roadrunner are inhabitant the deserts of the Southwestern United States, Mexico, and Central America. A dune in the Egyptian desert In geography, a desert is a landscape form or region that receives little precipitation. ... For other uses, see Central America (disambiguation). ...

• Habitat: Roadrunners live in arid lowland or montane scrub and are often widely dispersed in the dry open country with scattered brush.
• Migration: Roadrunners are non-migratory birds that reside in their breeding area all year.
• Link to a distribution map of the Greater Roadrunner from the Cornell lab of Ornithology

Food and foraging habits

Greater Roadrunner with a lizard

Roadrunners are omnivores and are opportunistic. Their diet normally consist of insects (such as grasshoppers, crickets, catepillars, and beetles), small reptiles (such as lizards and snakes, including rattlesnakes), rodents and small mammals, tarantulas, scorpions, centipedes, spiders, small birds, eggs, nestlings, and fruits and seeds like prickly pear cactus and sumac. The lesser roadrunner eats mainly insects. Roadrunners forage on the ground usually running after prey under cover, they may leap to catch insects, and commonly batter certain prey, like snakes, against the ground. Greater Roadrunner, public domain US army, try 1 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Greater Roadrunner, public domain US army, try 1 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Omnivores are organisms that consume both plants and animals. ... Orders Subclass Apterygota Symphypleona - globular springtails Subclass Archaeognatha (jumping bristletails) Subclass Dicondylia Monura - extinct Thysanura (common bristletails) Subclass Pterygota Diaphanopteroidea - extinct Palaeodictyoptera - extinct Megasecoptera - extinct Archodonata - extinct Ephemeroptera (mayflies) Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) Infraclass Neoptera Blattodea (cockroaches) Mantodea (mantids) Isoptera (termites) Zoraptera Grylloblattodea Dermaptera (earwigs) Plecoptera (stoneflies) Orthoptera (grasshoppers, crickets... Orders  Crocodilia - Crocodilians scary crocodiles. ... For other uses, see Tarantula (disambiguation). ... Superfamilies Pseudochactoidea Buthoidea Chaeriloidea Chactoidea Iuroidea Scorpionoidea See classification for families. ... For other uses, see Centipede (disambiguation). ... Diversity 111 families, 40,000 species Suborders Mesothelae Mygalomorphae Araneomorphae  See table of families Wikispecies has information related to: Spiders Spiders are predatory invertebrate animals that have two body segments, eight legs, no chewing mouth parts and no wings. ... Genera See Taxonomy of the Cactaceae A cactus (plural cacti, cactuses or cactus)SEE REBECCA I WAS RIGHT is any member of the succulent plant family Cactaceae, native to the Americas. ...

Geococcyx sp. is the only real predator of the tarantula hawk wasps. Genera Pepsis Hemipepsis The tarantula hawk is the common name for species in the genera Pepsis and Hemipepsis of the family Pompilidae, in the insect Order Hymenoptera. ...

Behavior and breeding

Roadrunners are commonly solitary birds or live in pairs. They are monogamous and a pair may mate for life. Pairs may hold a territory all year. During the courtship display, the male bows, alternately lifting and dropping his wings and spreading his tail. He parades in front of the female with his head high and his tail and wings drooped. It has also been documented that the male may bring an offering of food to the female.

• Nest: Roadrunners nest are often on a platform nest composed of sticks (nest may sometimes contain leaves, snakeskins, or dung). The nest are commonly placed in a low tree, bush, or cactus.
• Clutch: Hatching is asynchronous and average a 2-6 egg clutch (the Lesser Roadrunners clutch size is typically smaller). Eggs are generally a white color.
• Parental care: Roadrunners have bi-parental care. Both sexes incubate the nest and feed the hatchlings, but males incubate the nest at night. For the first one to two weeks after the young hatch, one parent always remains at the nest. After the hatchlings are two to three weeks old they leave and never return to the nest. For a few days thereafter, the parents and young forage together.
• Reproductive Season: spring to mid-summer depending upon species and geographic location.
• Links with images of roadrunner nestlings and nest:
  • http://www.miriameaglemon.com/Trip%20Photos/Arizona%202004/Saguar6.jpg
  • http://mirror-pole.com/collpage/roadrunr/rr_erny1.jpg

Bi-parental care is when both parents (usually animal) care for an offspring. ...

Thermoregulation

Roadrunner sunbathing

During the cold desert night the roadrunner lowers its body temperature slightly, going into a slight torpor to conserve energy. To warm himself during the day, the roadrunner exposes dark patches of skin on its back to the sun. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2272x1704, 1963 KB) Roadrunner in the sun, central Albuquerque during the Winter, 2007. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2272x1704, 1963 KB) Roadrunner in the sun, central Albuquerque during the Winter, 2007. ... Torpor is a state of regulated hypothermia in an endotherm lasting for periods ranging from just a few hours to several months. ...

References

• The Illustrated Encyclopedia of BIRDS edited by Dr. Christopher M. Perrins ISBN 0-13-083635-4
• Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia edited by Michael Hutchins ISBN 0-7876-5785-9
• Handbook of Birds of the World edited by Josep del Hoyo et al. ISBN 84-87334-22-9
• Smithsonian: Birds of North America by Fred J. Alsop III ISBN 0-7894-8001-8
• Harrison, George. 2005. Comical Cuckoo. Birder's World, 19:56-58.
• Meinzer, Wyman. 1993. Beep! Beep! Better pull over, folks-it's the roadrunner. Smithsonian, 23: 58