Geococcyx Californianus
The Greater Roadrunner, is a long-legged bird in the cuckoo family, Cuculidae, from the Aridoamerica region in the Southwestern United States and Mexico. The Latin name means “Californian earth-cuckoo”. Along with the lesser roadrunner, it is one of two species in the genus Geococcyx. This roadrunner is also known as the chaparral cock, ground cuckoo, and snake killer. The roadrunner is the largest cuckoo of the Americas. Roadrunners have four toes on each zygodactyl foot; two face forward, and two face backward. The toes are brown in color and have pale gold spots. The upper body is mostly brown with black streaks and sometimes pink spots. The neck and upper breast are white or pale brown with dark brown streaks, and the belly is white. 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, and the orange is often hidden by feathers.
Although capable of limited flight, it spends most of its time on the ground, and can run at speeds up to 20 mph. While running, it places its head and its tail parallel to the ground, and uses its tail as a rudder to help change its direction. It prefers to run in open areas, such as roads, packed trails and dry riverbeds rather than dense vegetation. This is the fastest running speed clocked for a flying bird, but not nearly as fast as the 40 mph of the flightless and much larger ostrich. This bird walks around rapidly, running down prey. It feeds mainly on small animals including insects, spiders including black widows, tarantulas, scorpions, mice, small birds, and especially lizards and small snakes. Venomous serpents, including small rattlesnakes, are readily eaten. Because of its quickness, the roadrunner is one of the few animals that preys upon rattlesnakes; it is also the only real predator of tarantula hawk wasps. It kills prey by holding the victim in its bill and slamming it repeatedly against the ground.
