Roadrunner
Geococcyx californianus

The Roadrunner, also called the Chaparral Cock, is the state bird of New Mexico. Roadrunners are ground cuckoos. Ground cuckoos are any of about 15 species of birds of the subfamily Neomorphinae of the Cuckoo Family Cuculidae This family of interesting birds is known for its terrestrial lifestyle and habits. Roadrunners live in all the Southwestern states - throughout the Mojave, Sonoran, Chihuahuan and southern Great Basin deserts.

 

Roadrunners are synonymous with the deserts of the American southwest – and a frequent site around the Tucson area. Okay, let's go ahead and get it out of the way now – Roadrunners are also synonymous with cartoons – and the true notoriety of this animal is most likely almost completely the result of the loveable animated character created by Warner Brothers in their Looney Tunes cartoons. The Roadrunner, and his arch nemesis, Wile E. Coyote, have been entertaining audiences with their desert hijinks for decades. Beep-beep! And now back to the equally entertaining reality of this amazing bird…

True to its reputation, the Roadrunner is quick – very quick. It can achieve a running speed of about 17 miles per hour, and from a dead stop, it can achieve it quite rapidly. Many people think that the Roadrunner is unable to fly, but this is not accurate. The Roadrunner sports a pair of short, rounded wings marked with white crescents. The bird limits its flight to times when it is afraid, or sometimes when it is moving down a hill. It has difficulty sustaining flight over extended distances because of its weight and mass. Still, it is not a flightless bird.

Roadrunners do eat plant material, but not often. They usually eat vegetation in the winters, when animal prey is more limited, but they are actually carnivores. They dine on an array of desert dwelling animals, making good use of their natural camouflage and great quickness and speed. These cuckoo birds can snatch a dragonfly or even a hummingbird right from midair. They are also quick enough to safely take down and eat rattlesnakes, as well as scorpions, lizards, tarantulas, and other small desert animals. The fact that they are seen killing and eating rattlesnakes has helped heighten their reputation and expand their notoriety.

 

If you've never seen a Roadrunner take down and eat a rattlesnake, well, you need to. It's quite the ritual. The bird attracts the snake's attention using its extended wings, and then grabs it by the tail with its beak. Always moving quickly, it uses the snake's body like a whip – slapping the head of the serpent repeatedly into the ground and rocks until it expires. The Roadrunner then proceeds to swallow his meal – whole! As you might imagine there are times when the entire snake won't fit – no matter. The bird will simply go about its business – with the remnants of the snake hanging from its mouth. As the animal digests its prey, it swallows more of it. It is not uncommon to see a Roadrunner dashing across a Tucson street with its ongoing meal.

During the tarantula mating season, Roadrunners can be seen ripping across Tucson streets to grab one of the temporarily exposed [and tasty] male spiders seeking a mate.

The Roadrunner is a large, black-and-white, mottled bird that is clearly marked by its distinctive head crest. It has very strong feet, characterized by 2 forward toes and 2 behind - a Cuckoo Family (Cuculidae) trait. It has a long, white-tipped tail and a disproportionately oversized bill. The song of the Roadrunner is a series of six to eight low-tone coos that steadily drop in pitch. It also makes a clattering sound by rolling its mandibles together. Another earmark of this fascinating bird is its long, tapered tail – which it carries pointing upwards. When the animal decides to run fast, the tail drops to becomes almost parallel to the ground. Such tails are always a large part of the balance mechanism of the animals that have them.

Over time, the Roadrunner has adapted marvelously to living in the Arizona deserts:

It reabsorbs water from its feces before excretion.

Its nasal gland eliminates excess salt, instead of using the urinary tract like most other birds.

It reduces its activity by at least 50% during the heat of the day.

Being carnivorous, it is afforded a good supply of moist-laden food.

The female builds the ground nest from materials collected by she and her mate. She will lay 2-12 white colored eggs over a period of 3 days. [NB: in the deserts near Tucson, the Roadrunner breeds twice a year, instead of once. This is due to the abundance of moisture made available by monsoon.] These eggs will incubate for about 20-days. Since the eggs don't all hatch at the same time, and nest space is limited, cannibalism is common, and usually only 2-4 of the young survive. About two weeks after they hatch, the youngsters head out into the surrounding desert to begin their own lives

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If you are lucky enough to see a Roadrunner when you're out in the desert, hide yourself, and remain very still. These birds spook easily, and when they are spooked, they are able to quickly put a lot of ground between you and them. Most observations of these intriguing birds is casually accidental – such as seeing one crossing a road or a small open patch of desert. Sitting on a steep incline, such as at Sabino Canyon or near Gate's Pass, and employing a pair of binoculars greatly enhances your chances of seeing a Roadrunner. But you must look closely as they are well camouflaged. A rapid scanning motion seeking quick movements is the best way to search for them. And remember, they are inactive during the hotter times of the day.

If you were to take a survey in Tucson tomorrow, most people asked would likely tell you that the Roadrunner is the State Bird of Arizona. This is a very common misconception. Actually, the State Bird of Arizona is the Cactus Wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus).

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