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Greater Roadrunner A member of the cuckoo family, the Greater Roadrunner is the best-known bird of the southwest and is synonymous with Texas, California, Arizona, and New Mexico. However, unlike the other cuckoos it is mainly a ground bird that prefers to run instead of fly. The Greater Roadrunner is about two feet long
and a dull brown-gray overall with brown streaks. Its underside is lighter
and unstreaked. Its tail is extremely long and has white outer tail
feathers. When standing still it has the habit of raising its tail,
sometimes fanning it and slowly lowering it. When running, its tail trails
behind or wags back and forth. In breeding plumage, its face is quite
cheerful with a prominent bright blue cheek patch with a red trailing edge. The Greater Roadrunner is a fast runner enabling it to chase down its favorite food: lizards. It will also take a variety of insects, mice, tarantulas, scorpions, small birds, mammals and occasionally seeds and berries. The Greater Roadrunner mates for life and sets up a territory that it defends continuously. Its courtship behavior is intricate and showy. One bird entices another with a stick. The male drops the stick and runs away from the female with its wings spread and its tail raised or wagging. As he approaches her again, he lowers his wings and wags his tail from side to side. He may bow to her and then repeat the dance. This information taken from Favorite Birds of the Southwest by Dick Schnikel and David Mohrhardt.
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Copyright © 2004
Sunland Visitor's Center
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