Roadrunner is the name for two swift, ground-dwelling birds found in brushy deserts and woodlands of the southwestern United States, Mexico, and Central America. Roadrunners can fly, but they are most at home on the ground. They can run faster than 15 miles (24 kilometers) per hour. The name roadrunner comes from the birds’ habit of racing down roads in front of moving vehicles and then darting to safety in the brush. Other names for the birds include chaparral cock, ground cuckoo, paisano, and snake killer.
The two types of roadrunners differ chiefly in size and where they live. The greater roadrunner measures nearly 2 feet (61 centimeters) in length and lives in Mexico and the United States. The lesser roadrunner grows about 18 inches (46 centimeters) long and is found in Mexico and Central America. Both species have slim bodies with long tails comprising nearly half of their total length. They possess long, sturdy legs and a slender, pointed bill. The mostly brown upper body has black streaks and white spots. The neck and upper breast are white or pale brown with dark brown streaks, and the belly is white. A shaggy crest of brown feathers sticks up on the head, and a bare patch of red-and-blue skin lies behind each eye.
Loading the player...Roadrunner
Roadrunners eat chiefly insects, lizards, snakes, mice, baby birds, and gophers. The birds kill their larger prey by beating it against a hard object and then swallowing it whole. Roadrunners build a cup-shaped nest of sticks in a low tree or a clump of cactuses. They line the nest with leaves, grass, and other soft materials. The female roadrunner lays from two to eight white or yellowish eggs. Both the male and female incubate the eggs and feed the young.
Loading the player...Roadrunner
