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Greater Roadrunner Life History

Habitat

ScrubGreater Roadrunners occur throughout the Southwest and into northern California in semi-open, scrubby habitat from below sea level to nearly 10,000 feet. Habitats include areas dominated by creosote, mesquite, chaparral, and tamarisk, as well as grasslands, riparian woodlands and canyons. At higher elevations roadrunners live in pinyon-juniper woodlands and cholla grasslands. Greater Roadrunners have expanded their range into southwest Missouri, western Arkansas, eastern Oklahoma, and Louisiana, where they occupy less typical habitat that includes red juniper landscapes, scrubby woods, loblolly pine forests and upland hardwood stands. Roadrunners avoid heavily forested and densely populated areas, but can tolerate sparser suburban development and open farmland.Back to top

Food

OmnivoreGreater Roadrunners eat mostly animals, including almost anything they can catch: small mammals, reptiles, frogs, toads, insects, centipedes, scorpions, and birds. Roadrunners also eat carrion and prey on bird eggs and chicks. They kill rattlesnakes by pecking them repeatedly in the head. They slam large prey, such as rodents and lizards, against a rock or the ground multiple times to break down the bones and elongate the victim, making it easier to swallow. These opportunistic predators have also been known to grab birds from backyard feeders or nest boxes. In winter, fruit, seeds, and other plant material make up 10 percent of the roadrunner’s diet.Back to top

Nesting

Nest Placement

TreeThe pair chooses a nest site 3–10 feet or more off the ground, on a horizontal branch or in the crotch of a sturdy bush, cactus, or small tree. The shaded, well-concealed nest is often located next to a path or streambed that the Greater Roadrunners use when carrying nest-building material and food for nestlings.

Nest Description

Male Greater Roadrunners bring twigs to the female, which she fashions into a compact platform with a nest cup about 4 inches deep. A male that pauses for too long in his stick-gathering may get reminded with a whining call from his partner, prompting him to get back to work. The finished nest can reach over 17 inches in diameter and 8 inches high, lined with leaves, grasses, feathers, smaller sticks, snakeskin, and flakes of cattle and horse manure. The parents may continue to work on the nest during incubation and build up the sides of the nest as the chicks grow. Pairs sometimes reuse a nest from a previous year.

Nesting Facts

Clutch Size:2-6 eggs
Number of Broods:1-2 broods
Egg Length:1.4-1.8 in (3.5-4.6 cm)
Egg Width:1.1-1.3 in (2.8-3.3 cm)
Incubation Period:19-20 days
Egg Description:White covered with a chalky yellow film, sometimes stained with brown or gray.
Condition at Hatching:Eyes closed but chick strong and active, with black skin and white down along the feather tracts.
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Behavior

Ground ForagerTrue to its name, the Greater Roadrunner races along roads, streambeds, and well-worn paths, defending its large territory and chasing lizards, rodents, and insects. While on the move they startle and flush a meal by flashing the white spots on their open wings. Roadrunners can also jump straight up to snag insects, bats, and even hummingbirds in flight. Although agile on the ground, roadrunners don’t fly well. A threat may trigger a short, low burst of flight to seek a hiding place; otherwise, flying is limited to gliding from a nest or perch to the ground, or between perches. In the morning, roadrunners often “sunbathe” to warm up after a cold night in the desert: with its back to the sun, the bird raises the feathers across its back and wings to expose its heat-absorbent black skin. In winter, birds may sunbathe several times a day. Male roadrunners perch atop fence posts and rocks, calling out with a mournful coo-cooo-coooo to advertise territorial boundaries. When threatened or displaying to a rival, they erect their crest and reveal a bright orange patch of skin behind the eye. Both members of a pair patrol their territory—which can measure up to a half-mile in diameter—and drive off intruders. Roadrunner pairs form lifelong bonds that they renew each spring with a series of elaborate courtship steps and calls. Mating is equally orchestrated: the male roadrunner leaps onto his partner’s back while holding a mouse or other food offering, which both partners grasp as they copulate. Afterward he circles his mate, bowing, cooing and flicking his tail in a stylized display.Back to top

Conservation

Low Concern

Greater Roadrunners are numerous, and their breeding populations have increased close to 1% between 2016 and 2019, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey. Partners in Flight estimates the global breeding population at 1.4 million and rates them 8 out of 20 on the Continental Concern Score, indicating a species of low conservation concern. Threats to roadrunners include illegal shooting, often in the mistaken belief that they threaten populations of popular game birds. Habitat loss is a bigger threat, as roadrunners need room to roam and are susceptible to development that fragments their territories and eliminates prey and nest sites. Household pets, feral animals, pedestrians, and traffic can also displace or kill roadrunners. California has seen a significant drop in roadrunner numbers over the past several decades.

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Credits

Hughes, Janice M. (2011). Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus), version 2.0. In The Birds of North America (P. G. Rodewald, editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York, USA.

Partners in Flight. (2020). Avian Conservation Assessment Database, version 2020.

Sauer, J. R., D. K. Niven, J. E. Hines, D. J. Ziolkowski Jr., K. L. Pardieck, J. E. Fallon, and W. A. Link (2019). The North American Breeding Bird Survey, Results and Analysis 1966–2019. Version 2.07.2019. USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD, USA.

Sibley, D. A. (2014). The Sibley Guide to Birds, second edition. Alfred A. Knopf, New York, NY, USA.

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