Road Runner
by Karen Slagle
Title
Road Runner
Artist
Karen Slagle
Medium
Photograph
Description
This little guy spent the better part of an afternoon roaming around my back yard. I took advantage of his visit and got off several images of him. This image was taken in the Texas panhandle. with a Nikon D3s and a Nikkor 300mm lens with a Nikon 1.4 teleconverter.
Geococcyx
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Cuculiformes
Family: Cuculidae
Subfamily: Neomorphinae
Genus: Geococcyx
Wagler, 1831
The roadrunner, also known as a chaparral bird and a 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. Some have been clocked at 20 miles per hour (32 km/h).
The subfamily Neomorphinae, the New World ground cuckoos, includes eleven species of birds, while the genus Geococcyx has just two, the greater roadrunner and the lesser roadrunner. The greater roadrunner, G. californianus, inhabits Mexico and the southwestern United States. The lesser roadrunner, G. velox, inhabits Mexico and Central America.
The roadrunner generally ranges in size from 18 to 22 in (46 to 56 cm) from tail to beak. The average weight is about 8–15 oz (230–430 g). 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) 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.
The roadrunner has a slow and descending dove-like "coo". It also makes a rapid, vocalized clattering sound with its beak.
The roadrunner is an inhabitant of the deserts of Southwestern United States, Mexico, and Central America. It lives in an arid lowland or mountainous shrubland and is often widely dispersed in dry open country with scattered brush. It is non-migratory, and resides in its breeding area year-round.
The roadrunner is an opportunistic omnivore. Its diet normally consists of insects (such as grasshoppers, crickets, caterpillars, and beetles), small reptiles (such as lizards and snakes, including rattlesnakes), rodents and small mammals, spiders (including tarantulas), scorpions, centipedes, snails, small birds (and nestlings), eggs, and fruits and seeds like those from prickly pear cactuses and sumacs. 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 batter certain prey against the ground. Because of its quickness, the roadrunner is one of the few animals that preys upon rattlesnakes; it is also the only real predator of tarantula hawk wasps.
The roadrunner usually lives alone or in pairs. It is monogamous and may mate for life, 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).
The roadrunner's nest is often on a platform composed of sticks, and may sometimes contain leaves, snakeskins, or dung. It is commonly placed in a low tree, bush, or cactus. The eggs are generally white. There are generally 2 to 6 eggs per clutch (the lesser roadrunner's clutch size is typically smaller) and 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 always remains at the nest. The young leave the nest at two to three weeks old, foraging with parents for a few days after.
Greater roadrunners often become habituated to the presence of people.
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
December 20th, 2014
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Viewed 375 Times - Last Visitor from Romeo, MI on 04/24/2024 at 12:07 AM
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Comments (17)
Bunny Clarke
Gorgeous capture. I miss seeing these now that I've moved. They are such beautiful birds.
Karen Slagle replied:
They are cool birds, I love watching them and talking to them. They turn and look at me when I chirp at them.
Morris Finkelstein
Beautiful photograph of the Road Runner, which is not known to stay put for very long!. Your colors and feather detail is really wonderful. F/L
Marsha Heiken
Karen,This is a cool looking bird. You were lucky to get a great shot. Thanks for comment.,Marsha FV
Oiyee At Oystudio
Merry Christmas, Karen ! This is beautiful! Now featured on A Sense of Serenity : )
Barbara Chichester
Your outstanding artwork has been chosen as a FEATURE in one of the most highly viewed Art Groups on Fine Art America. MOTIVATION MEDITATION INSPIRATION! From the hundreds of pieces of artwork received daily to review and choose from, your work has been chosen because of it's Excellence! Congratulations!
Melly Terpening
Gorgeous captured, Karen. Never seen the Real Road Runner before. Thank you for sharing. L&F