Greater Roadrunner

Scientific name: Geococcyx californianus

Familiar to many as a cartoon character, the Greater Roadrunner lives up to its name and can run at about 20 miles per hour. It is a formidable predator of snakes, lizards, scorpions, and birds. The Greater Roadrunner is actually a large terrestrial cuckoo that is related to the smaller arboreal Yellow-billed and Black-billed cuckoos.

Common in several habitats including desert areas, Greater Roadrunners often dust bathe but do not bathe in water. They also sun themselves, aiming the black skin on their backs toward the sun for several hours a day, particularly when temperatures are low.

The Greater Roadrunner is related to cuckoos, although its muscle structure is slightly different in a way that provides more stability while running, something that other cuckoos don’t typically do. Greater Roadrunners defend territories year-round, and males are somewhat more vigorous in repelling intruders than females.

Poor weather and food shortages can both lead to nest failures. Heavy snow cover can also lead to adult mortality. Greater Roadrunners are thought to breed at age one, and they are believed to be relatively long-lived, but there are few banding studies to confirm this.

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