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Greater Roadrunner

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iGreater Roadrunner

Image:Geococcyx californianus.jpg

Greater Roadrunner in West Texas

Conservation status

Image:Status iucn3.1 LC.svg
Least Concern (LC)

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Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Cuculiformes
Family:	Cuculidae
Genus:	Geococcyx
Species:	G. californianus

Binomial name

Geococcyx californianus
(Lesson, 1829)

The Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) is a large, long-legged bird in the cuckoo family, Cuculidae. It is one of the two roadrunner species in the genus Geococcyx. The roadrunner is also known as a Chaparral.

1 Physical features
2 Behavior
3 Habitat
4 Cultural references
5 Image gallery
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Physical features

Adults have a bushy crest and long thick dark bills. They have a long dark tail, a dark head and back, and are pale on the front of the neck and on the belly. Although capable of flight, they spend most of their time on the ground. They can run at speeds of 15 miles per hour or more. They nest on a platform of sticks in cactus or bushes, where they love to hide.

[edit] Behavior

These birds walk rapidly about, running down prey or occasionally jumping up to catch insects or birds. They mainly eat insects, small reptiles, rodents, tarantulas, scorpions and small birds.

Several years ago, the Philadelphia Zoo had one of these in captivity. It spent much of its waking moments attempting to "race" or run with passers-by.

[edit] Habitat

Their breeding habitat is desert and shrubby country in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. They can be seen in the states of California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Oklahoma, Kansas, and rarely in Arkansas and Louisiana. The Roadrunner is the state bird of New Mexico.

[edit] Cultural references

This bird was the model for the Warner Bros. Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner cartoons. However, unlike the cartoon, the song of this bird is a dove-like coo, not beep-beep.

The University of Texas at San Antonio mascot is a roadrunner, named Rowdy.

The Angelina College Roadrunners hail from Lufkin, Texas.

[edit] Image gallery

Roadrunner with lizard
Greater Roadrunner at the Henry Doorly Zoo	Roadrunner in Lake Havasu City, AZ

[edit] References

BirdLife International (2004). Geococcyx californianus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 10 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
Geococcyx californianus (TSN 177836). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Accessed on 9 February 2006.