Greater Roadrunner
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Cuculiformes Family: Cuculida Genus: Geococcyx
Species: Geococcyx californianus
The Greater Roadrunner, as its name implies, was built to run using its long legs, streamlined body, and rudder-like tail. It is capable of outrunning a human, yet coyotes pose a common threat to the species as they can run twice as fast as the Roadrunner. Due to the scarcity of water in its environment, the Greater Roadrunner expels salt from its body through glands near its eyes, just like seabirds and even sea turtles. Any water it does consume, it gets from its moisture-rich prey of mammals and reptiles. To provide relief from the Texas heat, the Greater Roadrunner has a patch of featherless skin beneath its chin which it flutters to cool itself down. It is even capable of killing and eating venomous snakes, such as rattlesnakes, in which case one Roadrunner distracts the snake by flapping its wings while another attacks the snake’s head. This bird is most often seen around the Regents Nature Center or at woodland edges around campus during the summer months.
Conservation status: Least concern
Description: Shaggy crest; streaked plumage; very long cocked tail; usually seen running
Length: 23 inches
Wingspan: 22 inches
Diet: Insects, spiders, tarantulas, scorpions, mice, small birds, lizards, and small snakes
Habitat: Open areas, grasslands, and brushy fields
Season: Spring-Fall
Credit source: Cornell Lab of Ornithology
