Editing Roadrunner

{{Short description|Genus of birds}}
{{About|the bird}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| image = 20140322-0062 La Quinta CA.JPG
| image_caption = Greater roadrunner
| taxon = Geococcyx
| authority = [[Johann Georg Wagler|Wagler]], 1831
| type_species = ''[[Greater roadrunner|Geococcyx variegata]]''<ref name=HM4>{{cite web |url= https://www.aviansystematics.org/4th-edition-checklist?viewfamilies=70 |title= Cuculidae |author=<!--Not stated--> |date= |website= aviansystematics.org |publisher= The Trust for Avian Systematics |access-date= 2023-08-05}}</ref>
| type_species_authority = Wagler, 1831
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision = 
''[[Greater roadrunner|G. californianus]]''<br/>
''[[Lesser roadrunner|G. velox]]''
}}

The '''roadrunners''' (genus '''''Geococcyx'''''), also known as '''chaparral birds''' or '''chaparral cocks''', are two species of fast-running ground [[cuckoo]]s with long tails and crests. They are found in the [[southwestern United States|southwestern]] and south-central United States, [[Mexico]] and [[Central America]],<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|publisher=Farlex|encyclopedia=The Free Dictionary|url=http://www.thefreedictionary.com/roadrunner|access-date=3 May 2012|title=roadrunner}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=roadrunner|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/roadrunner|encyclopedia=Merriam Webster|access-date=3 May 2012}}</ref> usually in the desert. Although capable of flight, roadrunners generally run away from predators. On the ground, some have been measured at {{convert|20|mph|km/h|order=flip|abbr=on}}.

== Species ==
The subfamily [[Neomorphinae]], the New World ground cuckoos, includes 11 species of birds,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/classification/Neomorphinae.html |first1=P. R. |last1=Myers |first2= C. S. | last2 = Parr | first3 = T. | last3 = Jones | first4 = G. S. | last4 = Hammond |first5 = T. A. | last5 = Dewey |title=Neomorphinae (New World ground cuckoos) |work=Animal Diversity Web |publisher=University of Michigan |access-date=2009-08-12}}</ref> while the genus ''Geococcyx'' has just two:<ref>{{cite web|last=Avian Web|title=Roadrunners|url=http://www.beautyofbirds.com/roadrunners.html|access-date=3 May 2012}}</ref>
{{Species table |genus= Geococcyx |authority-name=[[Johann Georg Wagler|Wagler]]|authority-year=1831 |species-count=two|no-note=y|narrow-percent=75}}

{{Species table/row
|name= Greater roadrunner|binomial=[[Geococcyx californianus]]
|image=File:The Greater Roadrunner Walking.jpg|image-size=180px |image-alt=
|authority-name=Lesson |authority-year=1829 |authority-not-original=yes
|range= [[Mexico]] and the southwestern and south-central [[United States]]<ref>{{cite web|work=Avian Web|title=Greater Roadrunners|url=http://www.beautyofbirds.com/greaterroadrunners.html|access-date=3 May 2012}}</ref>
|range-image=File:Geococcyx californianus map.svg
|range-image-size=180px
|size=
|habitat=
|hunting=
|iucn-status= LC
|population=
|direction=
|subspecies=
}}

{{Species table/row
|name=Lesser roadrunner |binomial=[[Geococcyx velox]]
|image=File:Lesser Roadrunner - Mexico S4E1497.jpg|image-size=180px |image-alt=
|authority-name=Wagner |authority-year=1836 |authority-not-original=yes
|range= Mexico and [[Central America]]<ref>{{cite web|work=Avian Web|title=Lesser Roadrunners|url=http://www.beautyofbirds.com/lesserroadrunners.html|access-date=3 May 2012}}</ref> 
|range-image=File:Geococcyx Velox Map Small.png
|range-image-size=180px
|size=
|habitat=
|hunting=
|iucn-status= LC
|population=
|direction=
|subspecies=
}}
{{Species table/end}}

== Morphology ==
[[File:Greater Roadrunner Collage.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.5|Three views of the same specimen]]

The roadrunner generally ranges in size from {{convert|22|to|24|in|cm|abbr=on|order=flip}} from tail to [[beak]]. The average weight is about {{convert|8|–|15|oz|g|abbr=on|order=flip}}.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=The Animal Spot|work=Desert Animals|title= Roadrunner|url=http://www.desertanimals.net/desertanimals/roadrunner.html|access-date=3 May 2012}}</ref> The roadrunner is a slender, black-brown and white-streaked ground bird with a distinctive head [[Crest (feathers)|crest]]. It has long legs, strong feet, and an oversized dark [[beak|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 the lesser roadrunner and the greater roadrunner leave behind very distinct "X" track marks appearing as if they are travelling in both directions.<ref>{{cite book | last1=Elbroch | first1=M. | last2=Marks | first2=E. | last3=Boretos | first3=D.C. | title=Bird Tracks & Sign: A Guide to North American Species | publisher=[[Stackpole Books]] | year=2001 | isbn=978-0-8117-4253-5 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8by3DAAAQBAJ&pg=PR7 | access-date=2019-09-04 | page=160}}</ref>

Roadrunners and other members of the cuckoo family have [[Zygodactyly|zygodactyl]] feet. The roadrunner can run at speeds of up to {{convert|20|mph|km/h|order=flip|abbr=on}}<ref name="Lockwood1">{{cite book |last=Lockwood |first=Mark |title=Basic Texas birds: a field guide |publisher=University of Texas Press |location=Austin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jJIyfDPk9scC&pg=PA168|pages=168–169 |isbn=978-0-292-71349-9 |date=January 2010 }}</ref> and generally prefer sprinting to flying, though it will fly to escape [[predator]]s.<ref>{{cite web | title=Greater Roadrunner Life History, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology | website=Online bird guide, bird ID help, life history, bird sounds from Cornell | url=https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Greater_Roadrunner/lifehistory | ref={{sfnref | Online bird guide, bird ID help, life history, bird sounds from Cornell}} | access-date=2019-09-02}}</ref> During flight, the short, rounded wings reveal a white crescent in the [[primary feathers]].

=== Vocalization===
[[File:Roadrunner Clatter.ogg|Roadrunner beak clatter|right]]

The roadrunner has a slow and descending dove-like "coo". It also makes a rapid, vocalized clattering sound with its beak.<ref>{{cite web|title=Bird Sounds|url=https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Greater_Roadrunner/sounds}}</ref>

== Geographic range ==
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.<ref name=avianweb>{{cite web|work=Avian Web|title=Roadrunners|url=http://www.beautyofbirds.com/roadrunners.html|access-date=3 May 2012}}</ref> The greater roadrunner is not currently [[Conservation status|considered threatened]] [[United States Fish and Wildlife Service list of endangered species of mammals and birds|in the US]], but is habitat-limited.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.prbo.org/calpif/htmldocs/species/scrub/greater_roadrunner.html| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20041105000133/http://www.prbo.org/calpif/htmldocs/species/scrub/greater_roadrunner.html| url-status = dead| archive-date = 5 November 2004| title = Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus)| last1 = Famolaro| first1 = Pete| website = California Partners in Flight Coastal Scrub and Chaparral Bird Conservation Plan| publisher = Point Blue| access-date = 21 Aug 2015| quote = No federal or state [management] status. No other special status. Unitt (1984) indicates that roadrunners are habitat limited and have experienced a reduction in numbers due to urbanization.}}</ref>

== Food and foraging habits ==
[[File:Roadrunnerusarmy31.jpg|thumb|[[Greater roadrunner]] with a lizard]]

The roadrunner is an opportunistic [[omnivore]]. Its diet normally consists of [[insect]]s (such as [[grasshopper]]s, [[crickets]], [[caterpillar]]s, and [[beetle]]s), small [[reptile]]s (such as [[lizard]]s and [[snake]]s, including [[rattlesnake]]s),<ref>
{{
	cite web|
	title=roadrunner vs rattlesnake| website=[[YouTube]] | date=20 March 2014 |
	url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LE78eJx5hg
	 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/3LE78eJx5hg |archive-date=2021-12-22 |url-status=live}}{{cbignore}}
	</ref> [[rodent]]s and other small [[mammal]]s, [[spider]]s (including [[tarantula]]s), [[scorpion]]s, [[centipede]]s, [[snail]]s, small birds (and [[nestling]]s), eggs, and fruits and seeds like those from [[prickly pear cactus]]es and [[sumac]]s. The lesser roadrunner eats mainly insects. The roadrunner forages on 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;<ref name=desertusa>{{cite web|work=Desert USA|title=The Roadrunner|url=http://www.desertusa.com/road.html|access-date=3 May 2012}}</ref> it is also the only real predator of [[Tarantula hawk|tarantula hawk wasps]].<ref name=avianweb />

== Behavior and breeding ==
[[File:Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) 2.jpg|thumb|Greater roadrunners often become habituated to the presence of people.]]

The roadrunner usually lives alone or in pairs. Breeding pairs are monogamous and mate for life,<ref>"With the exception of breeding pairs, roadrunners are solitary (Hughes 1996). Pairs mate for life (Terres 1980)."</ref> and pairs may hold 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).<ref name=avianweb />

The roadrunner's [[bird nest|nest]] is often composed of sticks, and may sometimes contain leaves, feathers, snakeskins, or dung.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nature.org/newsfeatures/specialfeatures/animals/birds/roadrunner.xml |title=Information on the Roadrunner &#124; The Nature Conservancy |publisher=Nature.org |date=2016-07-15 |access-date=2016-09-14}}</ref> It is commonly placed {{convert|1|to|3|m|ft|0|sp=us|abbr=off}} above ground level<ref name=Hughes>"Usually 1-3 meters above ground; infrequently higher than 3 meters (Hughes 1996)."</ref> in a low tree, bush, or [[cactus]]. Roadrunner [[Bird egg|eggs]] are generally white. The greater roadrunner generally lays 2–6 eggs per [[Clutch (eggs)|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 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.<ref name=avianweb />

== Thermoregulation ==
[[File:Greater Roadrunner sunning.ogv|thumb|Greater roadrunner warming itself in the sun, exposing the dark skin and feathers on its back]]

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.<ref name=avianweb />

== Indigenous lore ==

The [[Hopi]] and other [[Pueblo]] tribes believed roadrunners were ''[[Medicine man#Cultural context|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 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 people|Pima]], seeing a roadrunner is considered good luck. While some Mexican tribes revered the roadrunner and never killed it, most used its meat as a folk remedy for illness or to boost stamina and strength.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.native-languages.org/legends-roadrunner.htm|title=Native American Indian Roadrunner Legends, Meaning and Symbolism from the Myths of Many Tribes|website=www.native-languages.org|access-date=2017-06-26}}</ref>

Central American Indigenous peoples have various beliefs about the roadrunner. The [[Chʼortiʼ people|Ch’orti’]], known to call it t’unk’u’x or mu’, have taboos against harming the bird.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hull |first1= Kerry|last2=Fergus |first2=Rob |date=1 December 2017 |title=Birds as Seers: an Ethno-Ornithological Approach to Omens and Prognostication Among the Ch'Orti' Maya of Guatemala|journal=Journal of Ethnobiology|volume=37 |issue=4 |pages=617 |doi= 10.2993/0278-0771-37.4.604|s2cid= 89743087}}</ref> The [[Chʼol people|Ch'ol]] [[Maya peoples|Maya]] believe roadrunners possess special powers, calling it ajkumtz’u’ due to its call, which is believed to induce tiredness in listeners.<ref>{{cite journal | last=Hull | first=Kerry | title=Ethno-ornithological Perspectives on the Ch'ol Maya | journal=Reitaku Review |volume=17 |pages=42–92 | date=2015-08-03 | url=https://www.academia.edu/2039186 | access-date=2019-09-02 }}</ref>

The word for roadrunner in the [[O'odham language]] is {{lang|ood|taḏai}}, which is the name of a transit center in [[Tucson, Arizona]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~mathiotm/Mathiot/Volume%20I.pdf|title=TOHONO 'O'ODHAM-ENGLISH DICTIONARY|website=University at Buffalo}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.transit.wiki/Tohono_Tadai_Transit_Center|title=Tohono Tadai Transit Center - Transit.Wiki|website=www.transit.wiki|date=29 June 2012 |language=en|access-date=2017-06-26}}</ref> In the O'odham tradition, the roadrunner is also credited with bringing fire to the people.

==In media==
The roadrunner is the state bird of New Mexico.<ref>{{Cite web |title=State Bird {{!}} Maggie Toulouse Oliver - New Mexico Secretary of State |url=https://www.sos.nm.gov/about-new-mexico/state-bird/ |access-date=2023-08-28 |language=en-US}}</ref> 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, 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 a misconception that a roadrunner is much faster than a coyote. In fact, a coyote's fastest sprinting speed is {{convert|40|mph|km/h|order=flip|abbr=on}},<ref>{{cite web| last = U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service| title = The Coyote| work = Big Bend National Park| access-date = 9 June 2022| url = http://www.nps.gov/bibe/naturescience/coyote.htm}}</ref> which is twice that of a roadrunner's at {{convert|20|mph|km/h|order=flip|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Lockwood1" />

== Citations ==
{{Reflist|2}}

== General references ==
* {{cite book|last=Alsop|first=Fred J. III|title=Birds of North America|year=2002|publisher=DK|location=New York|isbn=0-7894-8001-8|edition=1st American}}
* {{cite book|editor-first=Josep|editor-last=del Hoyo|editor2-first=Luis|editor2-last=Baptista|title=Sandgrouse to cuckoos|year=1997|publisher=Lynx Ed.|location=Barcelona|isbn=84-87334-22-9|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/handbookofbirdso0001unse}}
* {{cite journal|last=Harrison|first=George|year=2005|title=Comical Cuckoo|journal=Birder's World|volume=19|pages=56–58}}
* {{cite book|editor-first=Michael|editor-last=Hutchins|title=Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia|year=2003|publisher=Gale|location=Detroit|isbn=0-7876-5785-9|edition=2nd}}
* {{cite journal|last=Meinzer|first=Wyman|year=1993|title=Beep! Beep! Better pull over, folks – it's the roadrunner|journal=Smithsonian|volume=23|page=58}}
* {{cite book|editor-last=Perrins|editor-first=Christopher M.|title=The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Birds: The Definitive Reference to Birds of The World|year=1990|publisher=Prentice Hall Editions|location=New York|isbn=0-13-083635-4|edition=1st Prentice Hall Press|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/illustratedencyc0000unse_t1c2}}
* {{cite book|author=National Geographic Society|title=Field Guide to the Birds of North America|date=2002|publisher=National Geographic|location=Washington D.C.|isbn=0792268776|page=244|edition=4th}}
* {{cite book|last1=Wetmore|first1=Alexander|last2=Kellog|first2=Peter Paul|title=Water, Prey, and Game Birds of North America|date=1965|publisher=National Geographic Society|location=Washington D.C.}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite magazine|title=The Roadrunner: Clown of the Desert|magazine=[[National Geographic (magazine)|National Geographic]]|first=Martha A.|last=Whitson|pages=694–702|volume=163|issue=5|date=May 1983|issn=0027-9358|oclc=643483454}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Geococcyx}}
{{Wiktionary}}

*[https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Greater_Roadrunner/maps-range# Distribution map of the Greater Roadrunner]
*[http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Greater_Roadrunner/sounds Greater Roadrunner sounds]
*[https://www.naturefootage.com/stock-video-footage?fs=Roadrunner Video clips of roadrunners in action]
*[https://www.sos.nm.gov/about-new-mexico/state-bird/]

{{Otidimorphae|C.|state=collapsed}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q1452250}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Geococcyx|*]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:Birds of Mexico]]