Art by jackie Blurton
Narrative by the late Dr. Roland Shook
When most people picture the Southwest in their minds’ eye there is no other bird that comes to mind more than the Greater Roadrunner.
This is our only large ground running bird with a crest and a very long tail. This species is brownish above and whitish below. The undersides are heavily streaked with brown. The overall manifestation of the bird gives it a shaggy appearance.
The Greater Roadrunner is a bird of open country from pinyon-juniper woodlands to the Sonoran Desert to the grasslands of southern Colorado and Oklahoma. It can often be seen perching on rocky outcroppings or fence posts.
This is a species that allows its body temperature to drop at night to conserve energy. Individuals can be seen early in the morning with their back to the sun. The outer back feathers are moved to expose a black surface that allows the bird to absorb solar energy and raise its body temperature without having to consume extra food.
Greater Roadrunners are essentially a flightless, diurnal carnivore of arid regions. Its main prey items are lizards, snakes, rodents, spiders, and insects. There are several reports of roadrunners feeding on hummingbirds, which they catch with their lightning-quick bill, especially in the vicinity of hummingbird feeders.
"This particular-looking ground cuckoo, running along the roadway ahead was one of the sights of the Southwest early noted by emigrants along the Santa Fe Trail." — H.H. Collins
