Greater roadrunner

The greater roadrunner is a long-legged bird that lives in the deserts and scrublands of the south-western United States and Mexico. It is the largest cuckoo in the Americas, about 52 to 62 centimetres long, with a long tail, a shaggy crest on its head and streaky brown and white feathers. Behind each eye it has a bare patch of orange and blue skin.

Although it can fly a little, the roadrunner spends most of its time on the ground and runs instead. It can reach about 32 kilometres per hour, and some have been reported at 42, which is the fastest running speed recorded for a flying bird. It hunts lizards, snakes and insects. The globe places it in the deserts of the south-western United States and northern Mexico.

Built to run

The roadrunner weighs only about 220 to 540 grams and stands about 25 to 30 centimetres tall. Like other cuckoos it has zygodactyl feet, with two toes pointing forward and two pointing backward, which leave a distinctive track. Males and females look the same, though females are slightly smaller. Its scientific name means Californian earth-cuckoo, and old names include chaparral cock, ground cuckoo and snake killer.

From forest to desert

Fossils show that roadrunners have lived in the south-west for tens of thousands of years, including in the La Brea Tar Pits in California. Until about 8,000 years ago, they lived in sparse forests rather than dry scrub, and only later adapted to deserts. Today the species is slowly spreading north-east, as people change the landscape. Males make a slow, descending series of low cooing calls that can be heard from 250 metres away.

On the globe

The globe places the roadrunner in the deserts of the south-western US and northern Mexico. Look for the long tail and the shaggy crest.