Photos by Jerry Schudda
Roadrunners are not purple, and they don't cry "Beep! Beep!"
A cousin of the cuckoo, the roadrunner got its name from its habit of sprinting along dusty trails ahead of horsemen or stagecoaches in days of the Old West. Roadrunners can dash from 15 to 20 miles per hour in the open!
Roadrunners wear dark brown, streaked camouflage colors with a lighter belly. Their tail is dark and rimmed in white. An adult bird measures from 20-24 inches long from end of beak to tail tip. Long, skinny, bluish legs end in zygodactyl feet-two toes forward, two toes back that leave distinctive Maltese cross footprints. There's a lizard like blue and orange bare patch alongside the eyes.
Generally a loner, a roadrunner establishes a territory and has a regular beat through it. Its tapered tail-longer than the bird's body- acts as a rudder as this hunter slips silently and swiftly through underbrush, trotting, then pausing to survey for lizards, snakes, packrats, mice, newborn rabbits, baby quail, eggs, grasshoppers, cactus beetles, bumblebees, cicadas, or even a challenging humming bird! Yes, roadrunners can jump, but they fly only when forced to. Their wings are short and stubby, not designed for long flights.
When a roadrunner spots a lizard basking, a typical hunt begins. The bird sneaks up, grabbing the meal with a snap of its long, deep-slit beak. It then slams the struggling lizard on the ground until it's stunned or dead. The bird swallows its victim whole, head first, in a couple of gulps.
"Snake bird" could be another roadrunner handle, as they eat any snake, venomous or not. Once a snake is cornered, the roadrunner pounces and pokes to get it to coil. The bird attacks with fluffed feathers, spread winds and tail, using its beak as a weapon. They'll also eat cactus fruit, seeds, and backyard fruit such as grapes and figs.
Its calls include a strange whistling note, "oo-t" ending with a loud clatter or cracking noise made by rapidly clacking its beak. Its breeding call is repetitious, sad, and loud: "coo-coo-coo-coo-ooh-ohh-ahh!"
Roadrunners permanently pair bond. The couple builds a nest- tangle of sticks, roots, feathers, leaves, flakes of dried animal scat, and even shed snake skins, sheltered in cactus, palo verde or mesquite trees. This will hold two to a dozen white eggs, laid at intervals.
Both parents care for the eggs and chicks. If times get rough, weaker chicks are sacrificed in favor of stronger ones. Usually only three or four young reach fledgling age, and if they escape predators and don't become road-kill, they'll live seven to eight years roaming free.
Call me when you are ready to buy or sell Real Estate in the Tucson area;
Julie Nellis, ABR, ASR, GRI, e-Pro
Associate Broker
Long Realty
1890 E. River Rd
Tucson, AZ 85718
520-918-3843