The greater roadrunner is a large, ground-dwelling bird of the cuckoo family, native to arid and semi-arid regions of the southwestern United States and Mexico, well known for its speed, capable of running at over thirty kilometres an hour, faster than any other flying bird species while pursuing prey on the ground. It has a long tail, a shaggy crest, streaked brown-and-white plumage and a long, heavy bill, and it is an opportunistic predator that eats insects, lizards, snakes, small rodents and birds, including venomous rattlesnakes that it can kill with rapid strikes. Roadrunners can fly but rarely do so for more than short distances, preferring to run or walk, and they are well adapted to heat and water scarcity, able to survive largely on the moisture obtained from their prey. The species has become widely known through popular culture, though its real-life speed and behavior differ considerably from its cartoon depiction.
Facts
Classification
Living or ExtinctDerived from this species' own Conservation Status: this atlas's IUCN category list has no Extinct value, so a set conservation-status is itself evidence of living status (w-bfill-g5-0924 browse backfill). Identification
Distinguishing AppearanceA crest of brown feathers sticks up on the head, and a bare patch of orange and blue skin lies behind each eye; the blue is replaced by white in adult males (except the blue adjacent to the eye), and the orange (to the rear) is often hidden by feathers. 1 Scientific NameGeococcyx californianus 1 Conservation Status Connections
Child Taxon Of
In Ecosystem
Source World Wildlife Fund
Sources
1. Greater Roadrunner (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundationlead paragraph
The greater roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) is a long-legged bird in the cuckoo family, Cuculidae, from the Aridoamerica region in the Southwestern United States and Mexico.
Description section
A crest of brown feathers sticks up on the head, and a bare patch of orange and blue skin lies behind each eye; the blue is replaced by white in adult males (except the blue adjacent to the eye), and the orange (to the rear) is often hidden by feathers.
- Speciesbox infobox, status parameter (IUCN3.1 assessment, BirdLife International 2016)
View the Source Catalogue of Life
World Wildlife Fund
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.