Oddity Ark #20/Impurest's Guide to Animals #200 - Greater Roadrunner

So, we’ve reached issue 20 and the canonical last issue @impurestcheese chose for an issue (don’t worry there are three more left chosen by her due to my own insertions), in the schedule she left behind. So, let’s dash off and look at a bird that is quite clearly still trying to be a Velociraptor. And remember you can request an issue on any amazing animal, perplexing plants, fabulous fungi and magnificent paleofauna in the comments.

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Oddity Ark #20 (#200)

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: Cuculiformes

Family: Cuculidae

Genus: Geococcyx

Species:californianus

Related Species: The greater roadrunner is one of two species in the genus Geococcyx, the other being the lesser roadrunner (G. velox)(1).

Range: Greater roadrunners are found in the United States as far north as Colorado and Nevada, and as far east as Arkansas and Louisiana. The species is also found in a great majority of the Mexican states.

IUCN Status: The greater roadrunner is listed as ‘Least Concern’ by ICUN.

Raptorial Redoubt

The greater roadrunner has a body length of 50-60cm, and a wingspan between 43-60cm, and a body weight of up to 530g. The greater roadrunner has brown plumage with a black patch of feathers on the tail that is used to aid in thermoregulation in the morning or during winter to warm up enough so it can hunt. This odd thermoregulation is odd in birds is due to its adaptations to reduce dehydration and overheating when hunting during the day. Among these adaptations is its ability to release water vapor through its skin to form a cooling aura around it. To increase the rate it cools down, greater roadrunners pant to ensure it can hunt during the hottest part of the day (2).

Greater roadrunners are carnivores, and hunt primarily on the ground, targeting small prey items such as tarantulas, centipedes, rodents and lizards. Greater roadrunners also feed on rattlesnakes, grabbing them behind the back of the head and slamming them on the ground, breaking the vertebral column of the prey item. Roadrunners primarily run from predators, reaching speeds of up to 26mph, using its long tail to turn tightly (3), only taking flight when there is no other escape option left to them. Despite their speed, greater roadrunners are prey for predators who are fast enough to run them down such as grey fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), Harris hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus) and their primary predator the coyote (Canis latrans).

Greater roadrunners are monogamous, with pairs establishing a territory of approximately 700m², with both individuals aggressively defending it from intruders (4). Male roadrunners gather material for a nest, usually situated in a large cactus or low bush, which includes twigs, feathers and even snakeskin, which are passed to the female who arranges them. Up to six eggs are laid, with the young hatching and developing rapidly, hatching twenty days after being laid, and fledging another twenty days later. The adults feed the young until they fledge and can feed themselves, with the parents then chasing them out of their territory.

Five Fun Greater Roadrunner Facts

Greater roadrunners are members of the cuckoo family, and while they usually build their own nests, they have been known to be occasional brood parasites (5) of common raven (Corvus corax) and northern mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos).

While primarily ground feeders, roadrunners have been recorded feeding on flying prey, jumping up to catch flying insects and hummingbirds.

While they can fly, roadrunner flights are often short, with flights only covering distances of 4-5m.

Despite their association with arid habitat, roadrunners evolved to live in forest edge habitats, only moving to scrubby desert habitat as recently as 8,000 years ago (6).

The greater roadrunner is the state bird of New Mexico.

References

1. www.arkive.com

2. Robert C. Lasiewski; Marvin H. Bernstein; Robert D. Ohmart (1968). Cooper Ornithological Society (ed.). "Cutaneous Water Loss in the Roadrunner and Poor-Will". 73: 470–472.

3. Lockwood, Mark W. (2007). Basic Texas Birds: A Field Guide. University of Texas Press. p. 168.

4. Calder, W. A. (1968). "The Diurnal Activity of the Roadrunner, Geococcyx californianus". The Condor. Oxford University Press (OUP). 70 (1): 84–85.

5. Pemberton, J. R. (1925-01-01). "Parasitism in the Road-runner". The Condor. 27 (1): 35–38

6. Maxon, Martha Anne (2005). The Real Roadrunner. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. p. 124.

Picture Credits

1. IMG_2326+Greater+Roadrunner.jpg (1600×1151) (bp.blogspot.com)

2. Greater Roadrunner_KK_APA_2011_20015_158198_ChristopherSchwarz.jpg (1920×1200) (audubon.org)

3. apa_2015_lillianbeasley_279873_greater_roadrunner_kk_adult.jpg (2400×1500) (audubon.org)

4. greater roadrunner - Bing images

Endnote

This is not a normal addition, but this is the twentieth issue of Oddity Ark, but if she were still around this would have been Impurest Cheese’s 200^th issue. A lot of the information was pre-written by Imp, for the most part I’ve just fact checked, updated and confirmed references. So, I’d like to thank anyone who read, who commented or recommended an issue for either Impurest’s Guide to Animals or Oddity Ark. This isn’t the end; we’ll just be going off script very soon. It should

If you want to see more amazing animals and plants, please check out the Oddity Arkivef or past issues. And if you want even more animals, please check out dearly departed Impurest Cheese’s Guide to Animals which can be found here, or on the blog of long-suffering ecology intern @ficopedia

@cbishop, @batkevin74 ,@mrmonster ,@lemillion ,@shoto_todoroki and @spareheadone.

Clever girl!

Also @absol123, @referee, @cosmic_reign and @sabracadabra

Since you were talking about animals being jerks, you may enjoy this issue.

@sundown89: Congrats on bringing it to #20/200! <3

@sundown89: I'll read this later tonight. I got two pics I liked of a roadrunner while I was in Vegas:

@cbishop: Imp would have been jealous, this was one of her favourite birds (along with the European Magpie) and she never got to see one.

These two pics were of the same roadrunner on the same day. I took about 22 to get 2 or 3 good ones (the third was another of it standing by the motorcycle).

@ficopedia: That's pretty cool, I always remember the time we got back to my hire car on Site, and we had a red kite throwing up a pellet from the tree above onto the roof. I wish I'd got a photo.

Sounds gross, but probably would have made a cool pic. A friend of my mom's got an eagle (I think it was an eagle) swooping down over a lake, and just as the photo took, it let its load fly over the water. Gross, but amazing picture. lol

Bump because I'm listening to a talk about brood parasitism