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44-410: G. californianus G. velox The roadrunners (genus Geococcyx ), also known as chaparral birds or chaparral cocks , are two species of fast-running ground cuckoos with long tails and crests. They are found in the southwestern and south-central United States, Mexico and Central America , usually in the desert. Although capable of flight, roadrunners generally run away from predators. On

88-443: A cactus , bush, or man-made structure; 3-10 feet above ground. Greater roadrunners lay three to six eggs, which hatch in 20 days. The chicks fledge in another 18 days. Pairs may occasionally rear a second brood when there is an abundance of food in rainy summers. A young fledge will typically remain with its parents until it is at least 50 days old. Similarly to some other cuckoos, greater roadrunners occasionally lay their eggs in

132-412: A folk remedy for illness or to boost stamina and strength. Central American Indigenous peoples have various beliefs about the roadrunner. The Ch’orti’ , known to call it t’unk’u’x or mu’, have taboos against harming the bird. The Ch'ol Maya believe roadrunners possess special powers, calling it ajkumtz’u’ due to its call, which is believed to induce tiredness in listeners. The word for roadrunner in

176-441: A height that doesn't exceed 9 ft 10 in (3.00 m). Until a mate is found, the greater roadrunner typically lives a solitary life. The greater roadrunner is monogamous , forming long-term pair bonds . Breeding season begins from mid-March to early September. Courtship behaviors between greater roadrunners are a lengthy process including a combination of chasing, tail wagging, play-fighting, and acoustic signals. Once

220-624: A misconception that a roadrunner is much faster than a coyote. In fact, a coyote's fastest sprinting speed is 64 km/h (40 mph), which is twice that of a roadrunner's at 32 km/h (20 mph). Greater roadrunner The greater roadrunner ( Geococcyx californianus ) is a long-legged bird in the cuckoo family, Cuculidae , from the Aridoamerica region in the Southwestern United States and Mexico . The scientific name means "Californian earth-cuckoo". Along with

264-515: A series of five or six chatters accompanied by groaning, loud enough to be heard 700 feet (200 m) away. This sound is the roadrunner's most common vocalization during the incubation period and the rearing of chicks. The greater roadrunner is found in the Aridoamerica ecoregion, within the southwestern United States and northern Mexico . It can be seen regularly in the US states of California, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada , Oklahoma , Utah and

308-476: A territory all year. During the courtship display , the male bows, alternately lifting and dropping his wings and spreading his tail. He parades in front of the female with his head high and his tail and wings drooped, and may bring an offering of food. The reproductive season is spring to mid-summer (depending on geographic location and species). The roadrunner's nest is often composed of sticks, and may sometimes contain leaves, feathers, snakeskins, or dung. It

352-530: A territory of about 7,500 to 8,600 sq ft (700 to 800 m ) in size. The male is more territorial, calling out to warn competitors, and does not hesitate to physically push the intruders out of his territory. Some couples defend the same territory all year long. Both birds build the nest, with the male collecting the material and the female constructing the nest. The nests are compact platforms of thorny branches lined with grasses, feathers, snakeskin, roots, and other fine material. They are built low in

396-783: A tiny bit of Colorado , and less frequently in Kansas , Louisiana , Arkansas , and Missouri , as well as the Mexican states of Baja California , Baja California Sur , Sonora , Sinaloa , Chihuahua , Durango , Jalisco , Coahuila , Zacatecas , Aguascalientes , Guanajuato , Michoacán , Querétaro , México , Puebla , Nuevo León, Tamaulipas , and San Luis Potosí . The species is not migratory . The greater roadrunner can be found from 200 ft (61 m) below sea level to 7,500 ft (2,300 m), but rarely above 9,800 ft (3,000 m). It occupies arid and semiarid scrubland , with scattered vegetation (typically less than 50% cover) with

440-474: A white crescent in the primary feathers . The roadrunner has a slow and descending dove-like "coo". It also makes a rapid, vocalized clattering sound with its beak. Roadrunners inhabit the Southwestern United States , to parts of Missouri, Arkansas, and Louisiana, as well as Mexico and Central America . They live in arid lowland or mountainous shrubland or woodland . They are non-migratory, staying in their breeding area year-round. The greater roadrunner

484-417: Is a large, slender, black-brown and white-streaked ground bird with a distinctive head crest . It has long legs, strong feet, and an oversized dark bill . The tail is broad with white tips on the three outer tail feathers. The bird has a bare patch of skin behind each eye; this patch is shaded blue anterior to red posterior. The lesser roadrunner is slightly smaller, not as streaky, and has a smaller bill. Both

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528-436: Is a slow and descending sequence of about six low, “cooing” noises, emitted by the male and which is heard at 820 feet (250 m). This call is usually made early in the morning, from a high perch such as a fence post, dead tree or cactus. Females give off a number of up to twenty-two short, low-frequency shrills, resembling coyote squeals, which can be heard 1,000 feet (300 m) away. Both male and female roadrunners emit

572-419: Is commonly placed 1 to 3 meters (3 to 10 feet) above ground level in a low tree, bush, or cactus . Roadrunner eggs are generally white. The greater roadrunner generally lays 2–6 eggs per clutch , but the lesser roadrunner's clutches are typically smaller. Hatching is asynchronous. Both sexes incubate the nest (with males incubating the nest at night) and feed the hatchlings. For the first one to two weeks after

616-430: Is impossible". Because of the greater roadrunner's diurnal nature and arid habitat, it has various biological and behavioral adaptations , known as thermoregulation , to reduce dehydration and overheating. During the hot season, it is active mostly from sunrise to mid-morning, and late afternoon to evening. It rests in the shade during the hottest part of the day. Body water may be retained via liquid reabsorption, by

660-414: Is not always true, however, both because of the importance of other factors and the invalidation of this generalization. For example, in species reproducing at high latitudes, food availability before breeding is more important than availability during reproduction itself. Other factors can also be responsible. For example, species that are preyed upon frequently may time reproduction to occur out of sync with

704-603: Is not currently considered threatened in the US , but is habitat-limited. The roadrunner is an opportunistic omnivore . Its diet normally consists of insects (such as grasshoppers , crickets , caterpillars , and beetles ), small reptiles (such as lizards and snakes , including rattlesnakes ), rodents and other small mammals , spiders (including tarantulas ), scorpions , centipedes , snails , small birds (and nestlings ), eggs, and fruits and seeds like those from prickly pear cactuses and sumacs . The lesser roadrunner eats mainly insects. The roadrunner forages on

748-591: Is the state bird of New Mexico and, as such, appeared in a 1982 sheet of 20-cent United States stamps showing 50 state birds and flowers. It is also the mascot of numerous high schools and colleges in the United States, including California State University, Bakersfield and the University of Texas at San Antonio . The College of DuPage mascot takes the bird's alternate name, Chapparal, inspired by students driving between various temporary classroom locations before

792-454: Is the largest cuckoo of the Americas. The upper body is mostly brown with black streaks and sometimes pink spots. The neck and upper breast are white or pale brown with dark brown streaks, and the belly is white. A crest of brown feathers sticks up on the head, and a bare patch of orange and blue skin lies behind each eye; the blue is replaced by white in adult males (except the blue adjacent to

836-559: The Hopi , believed the roadrunner provided protection against evil spirits. In Mexico, some said it brought babies, as the white stork was said to in Europe. Some Anglo frontier people believed roadrunners led lost people to trails. Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner are the two main characters and protagonists of a long-running (since 1949) Warner Bros. animated series. The greater roadrunner

880-488: The La Brea Tar Pits , fragments from 25 greater roadrunner fossils have been found. Several other fossils are also known from Santa Barbara and Kern counties, as well as Northern Mexico . Prehistoric remains indicate that until 8,000 years ago, the greater roadrunner was found in sparse forests rather than scrubby deserts; only later did it adapt to arid environments. Due to this, along with human transformation of

924-556: The O'odham language is taḏai , which is the name of a transit center in Tucson, Arizona . In the O'odham tradition, the roadrunner is also credited with bringing fire to the people. The roadrunner is the state bird of New Mexico. The roadrunner was made popular by the Warner Bros. cartoon characters Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner , created in 1949, and the subject of a long-running series of theatrical cartoon shorts. In each episode,

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968-403: The gonadotropins LH and FSH , both pituitary hormones critical for reproductive function and behavior, into the bloodstream. Changes in gonadotropin secretion initiate the end of anestrus in females. Seasonal breeding readiness is strongly regulated by length of day ( photoperiod ) and thus season. Photoperiod likely affects the seasonal breeder through changes in melatonin secretion by

1012-608: The lesser roadrunner , it is one of two species in the genus Geococcyx . This roadrunner is also known as the chaparral cock , ground cuckoo , and snake killer . Greater roadrunner fossils dating from the Holocene and Pleistocene have been found in California , New Mexico , Texas , Arizona , and the Mexican state of Nuevo León . The oldest known fossil comes from a cave in New Mexico, estimated at an age of 33,500 years. In

1056-402: The pineal gland that ultimately alter GnRH release by the hypothalamus. Hence, seasonal breeders can be divided into groups based on fertility period. "Long day" breeders cycle when days get longer (spring) and are in anestrus in fall and winter. Some animals that are long day breeders include ring-tailed lemurs , horses , hamsters , groundhogs , and mink . "Short day" breeders cycle when

1100-542: The bird's direction of travel. Stylized roadrunner tracks have been found in the rock art of ancestral Southwestern tribes like the Mogollon cultures. Roadrunner feathers were used to decorate Pueblo cradleboards for spiritual protection. Among Mexican Indian and American Indian tribes, such as the Pima , seeing a roadrunner is considered good luck. While some Mexican tribes revered the roadrunner and never killed it, most used its meat as

1144-441: The chasing stage has passed, male greater roadrunners will present nesting materials or food to the females. Often males will offer food to females during the act of copulation. A unique feature of the greater roadrunner is that mated couples will continue their copulation rituals long after the need for egg fertilization. This factor is believed to contribute to the couple's pair bond maintenance. Greater roadrunner couples defend

1188-406: The conditions of their environment become favorable, and continuous breeders that mate year-round. The breeding season is when seasonal breeders reproduce. Various variables can affect when it occurs. A primary influence on the timing of reproduction is food availability. Organisms generally time especially stressing events of reproduction to occur in sync with increases in food availability. This

1232-505: The cunning, insidious, and constantly hungry Wile E. Coyote repeatedly attempts to catch and subsequently eat the Road Runner, but is never successful. The cartoons led to a misconception that the call of the roadrunner is "meep, meep" because the roadrunner in this cartoon series made that sound instead of the aforementioned sound of a real roadrunner. In some shorts, the Road Runner makes a noise while sticking his tongue out at Wile E. Coyote, which resembles its actual call. The cartoons rely on

1276-533: The eye), and the orange (to the rear) is often hidden by feathers. Males and females have identical plumage. Females are slightly smaller, on average 2 cm ( 3 ⁄ 4  in) shorter and 30 g (1.1 oz) lighter than males. The long stout beak is grayish brown to gray and has a hooked tip. Roadrunners have four toes on each zygodactyl foot; two face forward, and two face backward. The toes are brown in color and have pale gold spots. Although capable of limited flight, it spends most of its time on

1320-434: The greater roadrunner feeding on the dead carcasses of larger mammals (including bats , ground squirrels , and one juvenile desert cottontail ) have been observed. They are opportunistic and are known to feed on eggs and young of other birds as well as carrion. Early pioneer accounts report that when the roadrunner "sees a rattlesnake, it will gather pieces of cactus and put them around the snake, in such manner that escape

1364-444: The ground and uses its tail as a rudder to help change its direction. It prefers to run in open areas, such as roads, packed trails and dry riverbeds rather than dense vegetation. The roadrunner less often engages in flight. It hovers from a perch, such as a tree or a human construction. More rarely, it flies short distances of 4 or 5 m (13 or 16 ft) between potential roosts. Some Pueblo Native American tribes, including

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1408-405: The ground and, when hunting, usually runs after prey from under cover. It may leap to catch insects, and commonly batters certain prey against the ground. The roadrunner is one of the few animals that preys upon rattlesnakes; it is also the only real predator of tarantula hawk wasps . The roadrunner usually lives alone or in pairs. Breeding pairs are monogamous and mate for life, and pairs may hold

1452-434: The ground, and can run at speeds up to 20 mph (32 km/h). Cases where roadrunners have run as fast as 26 mph (42 km/h) have been reported. This is the fastest running speed clocked for a flying bird, but not nearly as fast as the 40 mph (60 km/h) of the completely flightless and much larger ostrich . The vocalizations of the greater roadrunner have seven distinct variants. The most frequent call

1496-478: The ground, some have been measured at 32 km/h (20 mph). The subfamily Neomorphinae , the New World ground cuckoos, includes 11 species of birds, while the genus Geococcyx has just two: [REDACTED] [REDACTED] The roadrunner generally ranges in size from 56 to 61 cm (22 to 24 in) from tail to beak . The average weight is about 230–430 g (8–15 oz). The roadrunner

1540-443: The heat of the sun's rays. Early in the morning, it can stay in this posture for two or three hours. In winter, when the temperatures are around 68 °F (20 °C), roadrunners may warm themselves in the sun several times during the day for more than half an hour at a time. The greater roadrunner can maintain a speed of 18–20 mph (29–32 km/h) over long distances. While running, it places its head and tail parallel to

1584-455: The landscape, it has recently started to move northeast of its normal distribution. Sparse forests can be found in these parts, in an environment similar to the prehistoric North American Southwest. The greater roadrunner is about 52–62 cm (20–24 in) long, has a 43–61 cm (17–24 in) wingspan and weighs 221–538 g (7.8–19.0 oz). It stands around 25–30 cm ( 9 + 3 ⁄ 4 – 11 + 3 ⁄ 4  in) tall and

1628-474: The length of daylight shortens (fall) and are in anestrus in spring and summer. The decreased light during the fall decreases the firing of the retinal nerves, in turn decreasing the excitation of the superior cervical ganglion, which then decreases the inhibition of the pineal gland, finally resulting in an increase in melatonin . This increase in melatonin results in an increase in GnRH and subsequently an increase in

1672-424: The lesser roadrunner and the greater roadrunner leave behind very distinct "X" track marks appearing as if they are travelling in both directions. Roadrunners and other members of the cuckoo family have zygodactyl feet. The roadrunner can run at speeds of up to 32 km/h (20 mph) and generally prefer sprinting to flying, though it will fly to escape predators . During flight, the short, rounded wings reveal

1716-932: The main campus was fully constructed. The roadrunner is also the mascot of the Tucson Roadrunners , a professional hockey team in Tucson, Arizona . Hoese, William; Anticona, Steve; Olmos, Erik; Parent, John; Rutti, Donald; Velasco, Beth (March 2013). "Greater Roadrunner ( Geococcyx californianus ) Kills Juvenile Desert Cottontail ( Sylvilagus audubonii )". Southwestern Naturalist . 58 (1): 124–126. doi : 10.1894/0038-4909-58.1.124 . S2CID   86206451 . Montalvo, A. E., Ransom, D., & Lopez, R. R. (2014). Modeling Greater Roadrunners’ (Geococcyx californianus) Habitat Use in West Texas. The Wilson Journal of Ornithology, 126(2), 359–366. http://www.jstor.org/stable/26455981 Reproductive season Seasonal breeders are distinct from opportunistic breeders , that mate whenever

1760-421: The morning, it accelerates heat recovery by sunbathing . In winter, it takes refuge in dense vegetation or among rocks to shelter from cold winds. The roadrunner frequently sunbathes for warmth. It turns perpendicular to the ground with its back turned towards the sun. Wings apart, the roadrunner ruffles the black feathers on its back and head, exposing its black skin, allowing both skin and feathers to absorb

1804-454: The mucous membranes in the cloaca , rectum and caecum . The roadrunner's nasal glands eliminate excess body salts. The greater roadrunner reduces excess heat by the formation of water vapor , released by breathing or through the skin. It sometimes pants in heavy heat to accelerate this action. At night, it reduces its energy expenditure by more than 30 percent, lowering its body temperature from 104 to 93 °F (40 to 34 °C). In

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1848-590: The nests of other birds, such as the common raven and northern mockingbird . The primary predators of this species include ground predators ( coyotes , bobcats , lynxes and cougars ) and aerial predators ( Cooper's hawks and red-tailed hawks ). The greater roadrunner is omnivorous and uses its speed to outrun and catch prey. It feeds mainly on small animals, such as insects, spiders (including black widows and tarantulas ), centipedes , scorpions , mice , small birds (including hummingbirds ), lizards and young rattlesnakes, and some plants. Some instances of

1892-414: The peak in density of predators. The hypothalamus is considered to be the central control for reproduction due to its role in hormone regulation. Hence, factors that determine when a seasonal breeder will be ready for mating affect this tissue. This is achieved specifically through changes in the production of the hormone GnRH . GnRH in turn transits to the pituitary where it promotes the secretion of

1936-610: The young hatch, one parent remains at the nest. The young leave the nest at two to three weeks old, foraging with parents for a few days after. During the cold desert night, the roadrunner lowers its body temperature slightly, going into a slight torpor to conserve energy. To warm itself during the day, the roadrunner exposes dark patches of skin on its back to the sun. The Hopi and other Pueblo tribes believed roadrunners were medicine birds, capable of warding off evil spirits. The X-shaped footprints of roadrunners were seen as sacred symbols, believed to confuse evil spirits by concealing

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