Greater Roadrunner

by Teresa Zieba

Title

Greater Roadrunner

Artist

Teresa Zieba

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

The roadrunner (genus Geococcyx), also known as a chaparral bird or chaparral cock, is a fast-running ground cuckoo that has a long tail and a crest. It is found in the southwestern United States and Mexico, usually in the desert.
The roadrunner 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.
Roadrunners and other members of the cuckoo family have zygodactyl feet. The roadrunner can run at speeds of up to 20 miles per hour (32 km/h)[8] and generally prefer sprinting to flying, though it will fly to escape predators. During flight, the wings are short and rounded, and reveal a white crescent in the primary feathers.
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.

Uploaded

April 5th, 2016

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