Greater Roadrunner

Geococcyx californianusOrder: CUCULIFORMESFamily: Cuckoos and Roadrunners (Cuculidae)

Breeding Location:

Bushes, shrubs, and thickets, Desert, Grasslands, Desert, semi, Scrub vegetation areas

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Thought to pair for life, Solitary nester

Breeding Population:

Fairly common to common

Egg Color:

White to pale yellow

Number of Eggs:

Incubation Days:

Egg Incubator:

Both sexes

Nest Material:

Twigs with lining of grass, mesquite pods, leaves, feathers, snakeskin, and horse or cattle droppings.

Migration:

Nonmigratory

Overview

Greater Roadrunner: Large, ground-dwelling cuckoo with overall brown, white and buff streaked appearance. Head has a shaggy crest. Face has blue and orange bare patch of skin behind eyes. Tail is long. Eats insects, lizards, snakes, rodents, small birds and fruits and seeds. Can run up to 15 mph.

Range and Habitat

Greater Roadrunner: Resident in southwest U.S. and Mexico; found in open, arid country with scattered thickets.

Breeding and Nesting

Greater Roadrunner: Two white to pale yellow eggs are laid in a flat stick nest lined with grass, and usually built in a thick shrub or cactus close to the ground. Eggs are incubated for 20 days mostly by the male.

Foraging and Feeding

Greater Roadrunner: Diet consists mainly of insects, snails, lizards, scorpions, spiders, young birds, small mammals, and in winter, plant material. Famous for its ability to prey on rattlesnakes; picks snake up by the tail and kills it by slamming the head onto the ground.

Readily Eats

Suet

Vocalization

Greater Roadrunner: Emits clucks, crows, dove-like coos, dog-like whines, and hoarse guttural notes.

Similar Species

Greater Roadrunner: None in range.

Bird database and its related content, illustrations and media is Copyright © 2002 - 2007 Whatbird.com
All rights reserved. No part of this web site may be reproduced without written permission from Mitch Waite Group.
Privacy Policy.

Percevia® Registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Greater Roadrunner

● Song: "coooos"

● Foraging & Feeding: Greater Roadrunner: Diet consists mainly of insects, snails, lizards, scorpions, spiders, young birds, small mammals, and in winter, plant material. Famous for its ability to prey on rattlesnakes; picks snake up by the tail and kills it by slamming the head onto the ground.

● Breeding & nesting: Greater Roadrunner: Two white to pale yellow eggs are laid in a flat stick nest lined with grass, and usually built in a thick shrub or cactus close to the ground. Eggs are incubated for 20 days mostly by the male.

● Similar species: Greater Roadrunner: None in range.

Flight Pattern

Alternates several shallow rapid wing beats with long glides.

● Range & Habitat: Greater Roadrunner: Resident in southwest U.S. and Mexico; found in open, arid country with scattered thickets.

^BreedingMonogamous, Thought to pair for life, Solitary nester

^PopulationFairly common to common

^MigrationNonmigratory

^Weight13.2 Ounces

Field Guide to Birds of North America