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Roadrunners

Elizabeth Penn (Penny) Elliston

Natural History

Geococcyx californianus, the Greater Roadrunner, is also known by many local names such as
Chaparral Cock, Snake Killer, Lizard Bird, Churca, Paisano, and Correcamino. The only
American cuckoo to take up permanent residence north of approximately 26° N latitude, this
bird inhabits the arid environment of the American Southwest and north central Mexico.
These cuckoos start nesting early and frequently choose thick evergreens or stationary farm
equipment as a nesting site. They may have as many as three broods in a season. Both male
and female are exemplary parents, and pairs may produce broods of up to six young in a
clutch (Ohmart 1973). Parents start incubating as soon as the first egg is laid, for an incuba-
tion period of 17–20 days. Consequently, there may be a great variation in the age and devel-
opment of chicks in a nest. Chicks may leave the nest at about 2 weeks of age, but are under
the supervision of their parents for another 30–40 days (Whitson 1976) as they refine their
foraging skills.
Upper parts of the adult bird are streaked brown and white with some iridescent shades of
green, blue‐black, and purple on the wing. Tail feathers have white “thumbprint” markings
on the tips typical of cuckoos. The blue/black erectile crest on the head may be raised and
lowered in displays, which may also expose brightly colored apteria, which are unfeathered
post‐orbital spaces colored bright blue close to the eye, fading and blending to bright orange
distal to the eye. The eye, shaded by prominent protective lashes, has a pale yellow or gray to
reddish‐orange iris. The black decurved bill is about 5 cm in length. Legs are long and bluish
terminating in a zygodactyl toe arrangement with toes number 2 and 3 pointing forward and
1 and 4 pointing backward. Normal adult body temperature has been reported by Calder
(1968) as 104 °F (40 °C) and confirmed by the author. Adult weights range from 221 to 538 g
(Dunning 1984).
Roadrunners are obligate faunivores. They hunt and eat any kind of small prey such as mice,
lizards, snakes, small birds, insects, and snails. They may pick up and eat a variety of nonanimal
material (chili peppers), which is usually cast out when the indigestible material builds up in the
muscular stomach. Prey is prepared for swallowing whole by whacking it on a nearby rock or other
hard surface.

Hand-Rearing Birds, Second Edition. Edited by Rebecca S. Duerr and Laurie J. Gage.
© 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Published 2020 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.