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Greater RoadrunnerCuckoo for Rattlesnakes Beep! Beep!
Everyone who recognizes this clever roadrunner, raise your hand. For those who only know the cartoon road runner who endlessly taunts and outwits poor ol' Wile E. Coyote, this is what they really look like. Long, low to the ground and brown & white streaked, they're built for speed. 
The real roadrunner is long and sleek and part of the Cuckoo family, but that doesn't mean he's crazy. Well, he does chase and eat rattlesnakes and scorpions, so you decide. But I certainly won't complain about his diet – the less poisonous critters around me, the beter. They can fly short distances, but usually save those bursts to hop up on to a fence or rooftop to escape their predators, which include hawks, house cats, and bullsnakes (which is ironic since they often eat rattlesnakes.) They can run up to about 18 mph, keeping their head low and tail flat for minimum drag and maximum speed. And contrary to the classic "Beep! Beep" from the cartoons, they really make a low coo-coo-coooo sound or a chattery whirring sound.  After capturing a snake, the snake is beaten on the ground mercilessly for several minutes or even up to half an hour, as witnessed by the photographer of these photos. The quick whip-like snap and repeated head-smacking eventually kills the snake, and probably tenderizes it a bit, too. Then it's devoured. Yum!   The roadrunner isn't always able to eat the snake in one meal, so it may run around the desert with the snake hanging from it's mouth, eating another section as it digests. Other tasty treats include lizards, mice, spiders and sometimes other birds. They make their nests in small trees or bushes and lay about 2 - 12 eggs at a time. Usually only about 3 or 4 survive (of course, assuming the mama laid enough eggs). Eggs and young birds are often eaten by snakes and... their own parents. Yup. The runts of the group never have a chance. Road runner sightings aren't all that uncommon, especially in the more scrub-brushy areas of the desert. |
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