by Kessie Carroll

Created on: May 24, 2009

The chaparral bird earned the name 'roadrunner' because of its odd habit of running along the road in front of stagecoaches.

Description:

The roadrunner is a chicken-sized bird that prefers to run, not fly. It is a member of the cuckoo family, geococcyx californianus. It has a long tail which makes the bird about 22 inches long, has a long, thick beak, and a short crest on its head. Its feathers are striped brown and white, with a white underbelly.

When running downhill or escaping a predator, a roadrunner will fly for a short distance. But its wings are short, and not as strong as its legs. It can run at speeds up to 18 miles per hour.

Habitat:

The roadrunner is found throughout the US Southwest, but mostly in the Mojave, Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts. The bird is specially adapted to life in the desert. For instance, it reabsorbs water from its feces before excreting, and it has glands in front of its eyes that emit excess salt.

Night in the desert can be very cold. The roadrunner compensates by becoming sluggish at night. When the sun rises, the roadrunner erects the feathers on its back and stands with its back to the sun, letting the light fall directly onto the special black skin beneath the feathers.

Diet:

The roadrunner eats anything it finds, such as scorpions, lizards, rodents, and other birds. It is one of the few birds fast enough to prey on rattlesnakes.

It attacks a rattlesnake by grabbing the snake by the tail, and snapping the body so that it beats the snake's head against the ground or a stone until the snake is dead.

Breeding:

Roadrunners breed in the spring, when the winter rains have increased the local food supply. A male roadrunner offers food to his female of choice, and dances for her while she begs. Then they mate and he feeds her.

The female constructs a nest in a bush or small tree. The nest is a shallow cup lined with sticks, feathers, and other soft objects. The female lays up to 12 eggs over 3 days, so the nestlings hatch at different times. Both parents take turns incubating, which lasts about 20 days.

The first chicks to hatch usually crowd out their smaller siblings who hatch a day or two later. Only three or four baby roadrunners actually leave the nest, and the parents care for them for about two weeks afterwards.

The roadrunner is a common bird, and it is not threatened or endangered. Its range has expanded in recent years. People in southwestern states occasionally see roadrunners in their front yards or prowling parking lots, looking for things to eat.

If you live in the southwest, or plan on taking a trip through, keep an eye peeled for the roadrunner.

References:
http://www.desertusa.com/road.html
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Greater_Roadrunne r/lifehistory

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