13 Mart 2013 Çarşamba

New Mexico State Bird

New Mexico State Bird

Greater Roadrunner (common name) 
Geococcyx californianus 
(scientific name)

Overview

The greater roadrunner is a large, ground-dwelling cuckoo with brown, white, and beige streaks and a very long tail. Its head has a distinctive shaggy crest, and it has blue and orange patches of bare skin behind the eyes. A common sight dashing across the American southwestern desert and plains, it was adopted as the state bird of New Mexico in 1949. The greater roadrunner eats spiders, snakes, scorpions, centipedes, lizards, small birds, eggs, rodents, carrion, fruit, and seeds. It can run up to 15 mph (24 kph), crouching lower as it gains speed. Its calls include guttural clucks, crows, coos, and whines. The nest is a shallow platform of sticks lined with leaves, grass, feathers, and snakeskin usually sheltered in a thorny bush, small tree, or cactus.

Close-up

STATUS
Official
ALSO KNOWN AS
chaparral cock, correcaminos
PHYSICAL DETAILS

 Male
Female
 Size
Length to end of tail: 20.5–24 in (52–61 cm)
Wing from flexure: 19.3 in (49 cm)
Length of tail: 8 to 12 in (20-30 cm)
Length to end of tail: 20.5–24 in (52–61 cm)
Wing from flexure: 19.3 in (49 cm)
Length of tail: 8 to 12 in (20-30 cm)
 Weight
7.8–19 oz (221–538 g)
7.8–19 oz (221–538 g)
BEHAVIOR
The greater roadrunner forages on the ground, snatching prey with its long pointed bill. To incapacitate larger prey, the roadrunner will beat it against a rock or the ground. To warm up, roadrunners erect their feathers to expose their black skin to the sun’s rays.
HABITAT
Open arid and semi-arid country with scattered brush and thickets.
Range: Resident in southwest U.S. and throughout Mexico. It is occasionally found in northern California, southern Missouri, and western Louisiana.
Migration: Non-migratory
Conservation Status: Least concern (LC). However, local populations adjacent to western urban areas are decreasing as these cities expand.
NESTING
Nesting Period: 17-19 days
Size of Clutch: 3-6 eggs
Incubation Period: 20 days
Egg Description: White
Egg Size: 0.8 x 0.5 in (21 x 14 mm)
SIMILAR SPECIES
cuckoos
TRIVIA
  • Roadrunners can fly, but they usually don’t. 
  • They are a pervasive symbol of the arid environments of the American West. 
  • The film studio Warner Brothers created a cartoon character of a roadrunner in 1948 that was a popular animated series. However, the animated bird looks nothing like the real greater roadrunner and more like an emu.

Click to enlarge an image
State Bird
Greater Roadrunner Close-up
State Bird
Greater Roadrunner with Meal
State Bird
Greater Roadrunner
State Bird
Greater Roadrunner
Distribution Map (pdf)

CLASSIFICATION
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Aves
Order:Cuculiformes
Family:Cuculidae
Subfamily:Neomorphinae
Genus:Geococcyx
Species:G. californianus
Author: World Trade Press


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