by Barbara Schoeneberger

Created on: February 17, 2010   Last Updated: February 18, 2010

When Warner Brothers animation director Chuck Jones and writer Michael Maltese introduced Wiley E. Coyote and The Road Runner to theater audiences in 1948, it was the first time many had ever heard of a Roadrunner. The adventures of the humorous characters awakened a curiosity - what exactly is a Roadrunner anyway? Are they really so clever and do they really say "Beep-beep"?

As with much in humor and entertainment, fact is mixed with fiction and the courageous Roadrunner does more than speed along a highway.  It doesn't say "Beep-beep" either, but has a much more interesting call.  An innately clever bird designed to survive in the unique conditions of the desert, the real Roadrunner advertises its presence with a coo that starts on a higher pitch, gradually dropping tones over six to eight repetitions.  It also emits a distinctive clacking sound by rolling its mandibles together. New Mexico has claimed the Roadrunner as its state bird.

Physical characteristics and habitat

A real Roadrunner is nowhere near as cute as Chuck Jones drew him, but its distinctive shape is very interesting.  This bird, sometimes called the Chapparal Cock, is one of about 15 species of birds that make up the Cuckoo family (cuculidae), all of which are noted for their ground habits and have two toes facing forward and two facing the rear.  With its 20-24 inch length divided almost equally between body and tail, the Roadrunner is speckled and somewhat streaky with dark brown and white on the body.  It carries its white-tipped tail at a graceful upward angle, but when running, the head and tail are in a flat line with the tail used as a rudder. 

The Roadrunner can weigh anywhere between 8-14 ounces and stands 10-12 inches high with a splendid crest of feathers on its head.  Its long, stout legs are perfect for walking or running along the ground in pursuit of food, escaping from a predator, or wooing a mate.  The bird can travel at a speed of up to 18 miles an hour and with its rolling gait is comical to watch.  They fly using their rounded wings with a white crescent, but their body weight prohibits them from staying airborne more than a few seconds.  The bill is long, sharp and deadly.

During the twentieth century, Roadrunners expanded their habitat from the deserts of southern California and the southwest all the way to southern Missouri and western Louisiana, but they were chiefly adapted to live in the open, flat, scrubby,

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