Surprising Facts About the Greater Roadrunner
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- Опубліковано 17 чер 2024
- Today, we’re going to take a closer look at one of the most iconic birds of the American Southwest: the Greater Roadrunner.
This bird is known for its lightning-fast speed, but there’s so much more to discover. From its unique adaptations for desert life, to its fascinating hunting skills, the roadrunner is full of surprises.
Let's explore five amazing facts about the Greater Roadrunner.
Related article on my website:
Is the Roadrunner a REAL Bird?
www.whatbirdsareinmybackyard....
Chapters
0:00 Intro
0:26 Fact #1: Roadrunners love to run!
1:17 Fact #2: Roadrunners are omnivores
2:10 Fact #3: Roadrunners are ground-cuckoos
3:14 Fact #4: Roadrunners thrive in the desert
4:15 Fact #5: Roadrunner song is cooing
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I rescued a roadrunner that fell into my swimming pool. Set him on the deck to recover. After about an hour he wandered off but came back to thank me.
My roadrunner showed up at my house with a badly broken leg. I took him to my vet and we shared the bill. The vet had home for 3 weeks. He did surgery on it's leg and made a cast. I supplied thousands of live mealworms to eat. I brought him home and released him. He now comes over a few times a week for a mealworm treat and to say hello.
Did it come back on a rocket with ACME written on the side?
We had an auto shop in Arizona. This large RR would run in from the desert, through the open door right past all the mechanics, then jump up on the counter and stand there for a bit under the cooler. The Service Writer would feed him part of his lunch, then he would run back through the shop and out the back door. Always fun to see him. Wonderful Birds.🪶
What an awesome story. They are fascinating.
That's cool! I love roadrunners.
I live in Az we have a couple of road runners on the property and they are so cool
That's so funny!
Yeah, I saw a roadrunner at the cafe in Palo Duro Canyon State Park. It would jump on the railing near the front door and beg for scraps from customers exiting the cafe.
I worked in a lot, where Semi Carriers brought in new cars, and Trucks. It was amazing to me that for two years a Roadrunner would literally visit me everyday. Once I learned that He did this every morning at 7:00 am I would bring Flowerseeds for it to eat, and left enough on my 2 days off. I will never forget never forget this Beautifull bird. He would only come to me!
That is special!
We raised a roadrunner back in the 60s it had a broken leg. My father was an ornithologist and worked as curator of SD zoo. He fixed its leg and when it got better he took it to the zoo and let it go. It was tame and would go up to all the people and let them pet him
I had a roadrunner that would show up every morning when I fed the chickens and join in for breakfast. He would often accompany our rooster outside my window to wake me up.
That is very cool.
Some years ago now I was living temporarily in a trailer in the southwest in the desert. One evening while out cleaning up after dinner I noticed a little roadrunner scurrying about the nearby rocks. I went on with my cleanup but kept an eye on him when I noticed a falcon twice it's size dive bombing it.
I soon realized why. The roadrunner had caught a large lizard and was having a time of it. The falcon also wanted the lizard and tried hard repeatedly to steal and kill the lizard!!
In the end the little roadrunner fought off the larger falcon and kept the lizard!! What a feisty little bird they are!!
Thank you for sharing your experience!
We see roadrunners almost every day. Yes, coyotes do catch them sometimes but one time just outside our home we saw a roadrunner "chasing" a young coyote, lol. It truly was a Roadrunner vs. Wile E. Coyote moment, lol.
Beep beep. 🐈⬛🦤
That coyote has got to stop relying on Acme brand devices!
@@ZEEKUPP
Finally !!! Someone with sense. Thank you!! Lol, 😅😂🤣
Nice to hear about that!😂😅
When living in eastern New Mexico, we had a Roadrunner who would bring us dead lizards. It would stand outside our picture window and wait until we saw it, then drop the lizard and leave. I love roadrunners
Roadrunners are cool. I'm 77 now and live in Oregon, but when I lived in Carlsbad, CA, we had a roadrunner that would come down the street looking for lizards, bugs and whatever else was around. This bird would occasionally fly up onto the roofs of houses on my street and I was surprised to see one fly. Always enjoyed seeing this bird and I wish it well!
It's like short sprints, then fly, then repeat. They are entertaining for sure.
I watched one go up a 10 foot Yucca almost like steps those shedding Yucca leaves. Last stop on top of a 1 story roof. Albuquerque, N.M. here. I took love them.
When I lived in SoCal, from 1986 - 1998, I rented various units in O'side & lastly a unit in Vista before returning to the east coast. I don't remember seeing many roadrunners, but do know they were there.
I have five pair on the property, and it's always a pleasure to see them when I leave and return. They are always running when I see them.
I love rodrunners!!!
When I was stationed in San Antonio, there was a roadrunner who would run alongside the cars during morning rush hour. I loved seeing that bird regularly.
That's awesome to know I'm looking forward to visiting SA I'm from Nevada and I had a roadrunner that waited outside every time I got out of class to let me take pictures of it then run away knowing I couldn't catch it lol. That was a fun semester!How is San Antonio like? Where were you stationed in the Alamo City?Also, thank you for your service!
@@Daykiss I went through basic training at Lackland AFB. Then I went to a different base for training in my job specialty. I came back to San Antonio to Kelly AFB for a two year stint. That was Fall of 1973 (6-weeks basic training) and then 1974-1976 at Kelly.
I joined the USAF from Orlando, FL, and thought that the two cities had fairly similar weather. Hot in the summer and mild in the winter - with an occasional cold snap.
After 50 years, I bet the only thing which is the same is the riverwalk. They do have delicious authentic Mexican food, Tex-Mex, and great BBQ. I did like that city and its suburbs.
Oh, in Spring, the beautiful bluebonnet flowers (and other wild flowers) make a wonderful showing. Another thing which I bet is still the same is the nearby Poteet strawberry festival. Look for that. And swing by the Alamo just to say you have seen it.
I seem to recall an annual bash called the Fiesta Flambeau…?
Anyway, there were some 5 different military bases there in the 1970s, plus the regional top military hospital. San Antonio was a nice city to be stationed in.
PS kids would take a weekend trip to Galveston or the Big Bend park. Dallas-Ft Worth was a long trip. I think kids went to Six Flags, too, if that is still in operation.
They're definitely not scared of cars. I have seen it, too. In Southern Utah.
@@reidellis1988 True Statement! Let me guess St. George?The warmer part of Utah
@Daykiss nailed it. Running right up South Bluff street.
We named ours ACME.
I love that !!
Perfect!
There are generations who don't understand the humor in that.
A roadrunner jumped up on the bumper of our jeep while we were at the CVS drive thru in Lake Havasu AZ. He playfully peeked at us a few times before jumping on the hood to further clown around and entertain us. 😅 we'll never stop telling people about it. 😊 it was hysterically funny. 😂
There are some parrots in New Zealand that rip windshield wipers off cars!
@absorbed-in-nature Keas can be very destructive.
may know him or her?
There is a video of a kea parrot stealing a GroPro.
They learn to pick the bugs outta the grills....
Cactus Wrens and R.R. hang around places where they know cars will be stopped for a few minutes......
A Road Runner and I hiked together once. He was hunting while my walking scared critters out for him.
The coyote never had a chance.
Very intelligent.
What a unique memory! Thanks for sharing.
Beep , beep!!
We live in Az the Desert rural area and are often visited by our roadrunner friends when hungry. We feed them raw chicken bits. Which they really seem to prefer over hamburger. I assume that it’s also better for them. It is one of our true joys being able to see and interact with such an amazing bird. A couple years ago our favorite roadie laid down and displayed all his beautiful feathers. Now that was such a gift I’ll never forget. I was just amazed at the beauty of colors and the trust he showed. 😊
How wonderful to have that experience! You are right, a true gift.
They live in Tapo cyn just north of simi valley
That's some Dinetah medicine right there. ✌️
I am 71 years old and I never knew there was a real road runner unbelievable amazing
Not to be rude, but that seems impossible.
😂😂 u ever hear of the Jackalope, they live in the same areas as the Roadrunner😊
@@reidellis1988
You just never know bout some things friend. I'm a 54 model myself and didn't know till not that long ago that a Jack Rabbit's not a rabbit, it's a Hare.
@@chrislnflorida5192 I have seen a stuffed Jackalope two times. In Utah and Wyoming, both were in restaurants. We used to make jokes about how a jackrabbit could impregnate a pronghorn antelope. 🤣
@@chrislnflorida5192 I have never seen a jackalope, but I have seen pictures of them.
Thanks for a great video. The Roadrunner is the official state bird of New Mexico, where I live. They will often come up and stand beside you and extend their wings to sun. They have little fear of humans. They are often found in pairs. They are as comfortable in an urban setting as out in the desert. They are full of personality and we love them here in New Mexico.
Wonderful! Thanks for added information.
He should be the National Bird, not the Bald Eagle!
Do they like roasted green chile?
😂 I know they like lizards@@BIGLOVE4TRUTH
They like green chile but they will roam far and wide seeking Posole in the winter season!
Years ago my cat would watch the Roadrunner corner a rattlesnake and then she would try and scare the Roadrunner away in order for herself to unknowingly claim the dangerous snake for herself .
She quickly learned the Rattlesnake was way more challenging than meets the eye .
I live in a city in the desert and those little creatures are everywhere! People's yards, cruising on the sidewalk, on your front porch! They have adapted to city life very well. Remarkable birds! And they are bold . They invite themselves to jump up on your picnic table and join in. But being face to face with one is a little intimidating. They have beaks like raptors and could do some serious damage if wanted to. Mostly they just want to be fed. I love those birds!
speaking of beaks, while camping in Joshua natl.monument several decades ago my son(8 years old at the time)nearly caught one with his bare hands( a feat he repeated many times with fish)I was terrified he had come so close. I scolded him and explained that Road Runners can chop through lizard and snake spines and little 8 year old fingers would be no match for that beak!
We have many roadrunners here in Texas and even a pair in our front yard that are not the least bit worried about us. The couple of amazing thing I observed is they love to use our large bird bath and they climb up our giant live oaks chasing prey by hopping up each limb..even to 75-100 ft up! Roadrunners are a wonder to watch!
Wow! Nice.
I’m from England so I knew nothing about these fascinating birds until now! Thank you for teaching me!
You are very welcome!
I grew up on a ranch in Texas 70 years ago (yikes!) and there were always Chaparrals around our family's property. I usually noticed them while out walking around the acreage and I never recall seeing more than one bird at a time. They preferred to nest near a stream or one of the manmade reservoirs the cattle used for their hydration. I remember them being quite larger than the ones pictured above and the children felt safe playing around them because they kept their nesting àreas free of rattlesnakes and didn't run away from contacts with humans. Finally, I don't remember ever hearing one make a sound at all. In fact, the only sound I remember from a Roadrunner was the "meep-meep" made by my high school buddy's Plymouth Roadrunner with its' distinctive horn and 383 cubic inch engine with the four-barrel carburetor. Today, the birds are thriving in Texas and their namesake automobiles are sadly extinct.
A roadrunner attended a nest in a metal frame near my trailer. I live alone and it was used to hearing my voice when I made calls on the phone. I left town for 2weeks and I returned when the bird was out and didn't see me. Later, I made a call on the phone and when the bird heard my familiar voice calling someone, it made some noises because it recognized my voice knowing I was back home!😂
I live in southern Utah color country, and we often see pairs of roadrunners around the neighborhood. One day my cat caught a blue bellied lizard but only came away with the end of his tail. From then on we called him “Stubby” when we would see him. Weeks later I was out pulling new tumbleweed sprouts and as I stood up to stretch I came face to face with momma roadrunner on the wall with Stubby in her beak. The babies had a fat meal that evening!
I live in southern New Mexico, I see road runners regularly. Thank you for the great information.
One of them followed me around the yard while I was working. Possibly I was stirring up insects, but I told myself he just enjoyed hanging with me. 😊
I’m sure you’re right!
They are actually well know for kinda.... digging humans. They can be very curious. I knew someone outside of Tucson, he would leave the door open to his home office and a roadrunner would come in and hang out for a bit. Became a routine. It was crazy cool!
@@Sabotage_Labs They are enjoyable Crazy Birds! I Love them. They are the Clowns of the Bird World!
I've been a cross-country truck driver on and off for close to 20 years, and have been to 47 of the lower 48 states (the only one I have'nt been to yet is Rhode Island), but the only place in the United States that my wife and I have ever seen a live roadrunner was in Bullhead City, AZ, which is in western AZ right across the Colorado River from Laughlin, NV. We lived there for about a year just after we got married in late 1999, early 2000, and we used to see them all the time around Bullhead. Fascinating birds, and that call that they make is unlike anything we have ever heard from any other creature on earth.
I lived in the desert outside of Palm Springs California, I once saw a roadrunner go through a covey of baby quail killing most of them before I was able to chase it away, I use to feed them and the dove around my house. They would come up and feed like chickens. But there was a female and a 1 legged male quail that always raised their young around my house the others would leave to have there babies. One time I was sitting on my porch having a cold beverage watching the mom and dad with their babies when a roadrunner swooped inafter the babies and to my surprise those 2 destroyed that roadrunner, he didn't know what was going on. The babies hid under a small bush about the size of a baseball cap. Needless to say I never saw that roadrunner around the again. By the way all 12 of their babies made it to adulthood. I have lots of stories about those 2 quail, they lived around my house for 4 years, sharing their babies with me.
I'll never forget the time we watched a roadrunner cross the gravel road with a dozen tiny babies. The adult kept going back and forth to encourage the new family to the opposite side. We live in southwest Missouri.
What a great experience!
I love roadrunners. They’re beautiful birds.
I'm in south AZ and we have a pair of roadrunners that use this as part of their hunting circuit. When the mountain lion shows up, coyotes hide. When the bobcat (Miz Kitty) hunts around here, the mountain lion runs off. When the roadrunners show up, even hawks stay away. If a coyote tried for a roadrunner, they'll kill it or wound it. We keep a water pan out front and when they come to town, they always visit it for a bath.
Roadrunners are my mom's favorite bird. We had a roadrunner visit us every morning. In Ruidoso NM we called the roadrunner chaparral.
My ex-wife is Mescalero. Beautiful country there.✌️
@@reidellis1988 pine trees, juniper and crisp mountain air. I live in Texas now and I miss Ruidoso. Oh and the elk and mule deer too.❤❤
This guy should the the American Bird, not the Bald Eagle. I Love these guys! I Love how they flip their tail to stop. They are Smart, yes, they act COO COO!.
Really enjoy all the comment stories of these Smart Birds.
I used to have a road runner that comes up to my house.He gets on top of the house and he would have a real conversation.Sometimes you just got just gotta understand them smart birds I used to.
Keep a small bowl of water up there for them They also like dog, food and cat food. I like them.They're cool birds pretty too with their iridescent green feathers
I’ve seen hundreds of roadrunners but never with green feathers
They seem very curious. I’ve often had them sneak up on me. The various sounds they can make is amazing. You won’t hear the wide variety of sounds unless you spend a lot of time in their area. They “bark”, click, and clearly communicate with each other. I am 67. A Texas rancher. It was only after many years that I heard this wide variety of sounds and behavior. These little guys are just cool! I give them great respect.
Years ago the first time we saw a Roadrunner in Big ben National Park in El paso Texas, also we saw the Havilina don't call me pig. Then years later we saw Roadrunner when we hiked in San Jose. Many people never seen them we were lucky. We see lots of Turkeys,Deers,Quais,Pigs,Bobcats we even encountered the Mountainlion. The Owls 🦉.when the animals,the birds want you to see them then they will appear. We're animals and bird watchers. Thanks for the Greater Roadrunner Video clip. We greatly appreciate 🙏. 🙏. ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤.
So kind of you!
I have never seen a real one. I was delighted to learn about them. It was very interesting. Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Many roadrunners around here inthe high desert of Southern California. First story I was told, some neighbors every morning tossed meatballs to two roadrunners, one day they had to leave early in a hurry, and the roadrunners jumped on the hood and pecked the windshield until they fell off.
We also had a garden railway; the trains run on electrified tracks. A roadrunner loved to stand on the tracks. He would stand right next to me and periodically all his fathers would fluff up. He loved it.
Here in the middle of Kansas ,i witnessed a Roadrunner stop by visiting the birdfeeders.That was a first.And yes, no wicked witches or talking scarcrows were harmed during this process.
Loved to have road runners around. Never had snakes around when we had road runners.
I saw a Road Runner in the hills above San Jose, California, he was in a standoff with a hummingbird! Clicking the whole time.
Fascinating! Thankyou!
Glad you enjoyed it!
My x wife used to feed a road runner hamburger. He was so tame he would come into the living room and up on the kitchen counter.
She was outside one day and RR came by with a dead lizard and put it at her feet, he the laid on the ground, spread his wings and tail and fluttered the ground. I figured he was trying to court my wife. I think he just wanted to get laid. True story, Mark
Thanks for the chuckle, Mark!
@@absorbed-in-nature Your Welcome. Mark
I saw a roadrunner a couple of days ago. You'll never guess what it was doing.
Driving a Tesla? 😂😂😂
Good guess, but no, guess again.@@Support_Ad_Blocker
@@Support_Ad_Blocker Dodge
@@mikehatfield1531 They still make those?😂😂😂😂
Eating hamburgers?
I was in Cripple creek, CO. From Colorado Springs, up Ute Pass to Divide. 11,000 ft, be hind Pikes Peak, you come into the base of town at 9,200 ft. I was camping off of taylor ranch, by Taylor resivore. Everywhere I went, there were Roadrunners, in the pines, and dry creek beds. I had them in Sierra Vista AZ, bunt never saw them home in Colorado.
I didn’t realize they were that high in elevation.
The Road Runner is New Mexico's state bird. They are mostly in the southwest. Colorado does have some in the extreme southeast corner of the state.
I saw a roadrunner in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. This province is very hot and dry.
It's pretty fast bird, it was difficult for me to take a picture of him.
But one of my friends got the chance for taking pictures of the roadrunner. My friend uploaded the video and photos on Facebook on a Costa Rican birding group.
Thanks for sharing this facts with us 🙏
I wonder what exact species it was? One of the ground-cuckoos, maybe. Greater Roadrunner is found south to Mexico. Lesser Roadrunner south to Guatemala.
I grew up in South Texas, always loved Roadrunners. Unrelated, my first car after I got my drivers license was a '68 Plymouth Road Runner!
Birds have feelings they knew their people partners. In the Spring when they return they come to say hello we are back. Respect the Birds they are not only animals. This was nice to know for Roadrunners.
Oh brother. Not another wacko anthropomorphism of animals.
Very good video. I live in Arizona, and see Roadrunners fairly often. I think they have cleaned out my large backyard of the lizards I have seen them chase. One day while working with a guy I hired for yard work in the same backyard, we spotted a Roadrunner, we paused and watched. Then he spotted another larger one, and it was stalking a Gopher snake along the bottom of the yard side wall. The snake escaped into a yucca plant patch and avoided getting caught and eaten. LoL They are always fascinating to watch.
Thank you for your positive comment and roadrunner story!
Hi I live in West Texas and seen two baby roadrunners in their nest.they are amazing 😊
Very interesting facts, about this bird.
Thank you!
Man! I spent my whole life trying to learn the secrets of the road runner. Now, here it is! God bless everyone!
I grew up in New Mexico, and have returned here to retire. I've seen many roadrunners but I never heard one before I was living in Arkansas for a few years. I'd just pulled into a parking spot at the grocery and heard an unusual bird call. I'd never heard this call before and had to look all around before I spotted the roadrunner perched on an apartment balcony railing nearby. It was the only bird in the area, and raised its head and made the call again, so it was the bird making the sound. Amazing sound, and amazing to see that bird in that area of the Ozarks. Hardly desert country! Here in New Mexico, we often call them "clown birds" because of their acrobatic behavior makes us laugh.
Keep up the good work!!!!!
Thanks! Will do!
Some years ago I had a cat that was about 5 years old. We lived in a townhouse on a golf course with a small back patio. Once a juvenile roadrunner hopped up on the fence to have a look around. Our cat jumped up to grab the roadrunner in sort of a bear hug but was no match as the bird hopped out of his grasp and ran away.
I watched Road Runners outside my Tucson, AZ office window. The male caught a nice lizard and presented it to the female. She looked at it and then strutted away without taking it!
How do you know it was a male and female?
Thanks for sharing these facts. Many of them I was unaware of. A few miles up the road from where I live I occasionally see a roadrunner. I should talk with the guy that owns the land to see if they might give me permission to set up and film these beautiful birds.
Having a reliable place to film roadrunners would be amazing!
They also seem to have a strong curiosity when it comes to humans. Being able to hand feed them or, have them coming to your porch to hangout in rural areas...not all that uncommon. Love these birds. Amazing creatures.
We live in the country outside of San Antonio and used to have a roadrunner that would land on our cars and look at itself in the side mirrors and run along the hood and do the same into the windshield, sometimes pecking at it's reflection. Very comical! Also one would even let me spray it with the garden hose while it was perched in a tree during hot weather!!
While staying in Arizona's Mustang Valley region in 1986 at one of my sisters, I came across a flock of 10-15 roadrunners scurrying about. It was funny to watch them scurry away from my advancement towards them.
We have a nesting pair in our yard, in central Texas. They love it when I spray water on the lawn, and will follow me around.
I don’t know that I’ve even seen a roadrunner, per se!?! I have been up and down from the Salt Lake area and through the Rez/reservation, going the back way to Phoenix, Arizona, and I don’t remember any roadrunners!! Well, I suppose we were going too fast, and needed to park somewhere and remains still for a while!!!! yes, I was raised in Pennsylvania, Florida, but I always loved the roadrunner and the coyote in the Walt Disney cartoons/or was that Looney Tunes?! Which is from Walt Disney perhaps?! Always loved his “beep, beep“!!! And how he always ran from the coyote and the coyote never caught him!!! thank you very much for a really good video!!! How far north do the roadrunners come and then how far west and then how far east please!?! Thank you very much!!!!
Northern California to Arkansas, including southern Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Kansas.
Roadrunners are my favorite bird. I used to see a lot more of them, but not so many in recent years.
I love seeing them here in vegas my favorite birds..
Let us all remember that wile e coyote was one of the greatest artists of our time. Making paintings so real the roadrunner could run into the lifelike painting and dissappear.
Saw them all the time in Midland Tx...have seen 1 in Lufkin since I been here.
Here in Casa Grande, AZ I was working in the garage one day with the door open, a Road Runner stopped to see what I was doing, a few minutes later he continued on his route.
I have 3 Roadrunners that stop by my outdoor kitchen every few days for breakfast goodies usually seeds, fruit and bugs for the last 5 years. They are neat birds and have grown used to our arrangement.
We have a good mix of birds in our backyard including the occasional visiting roadrunner. One day when we had just arrived back home, I looked out the back windows and a roadrunner had a small bird wriggling in its bill, hammering it on the ground like a mad drummer, till the small bird stopped wriggling. The roadrunner and its dinner left the yard running at that point. I fear I had moved around too briskly, even though inside, trying to get my mobile for a video and trying to get my wife’s attention. It all happened very fast. Facsinating birds.
Living in Grant County,NM… I’ve seen many more of these tiny little Dinosaurs up here the last few years. 😮My FIL used to feed them dried meal worms for chickens.
2 days ago, I saw a roadrunner take flight for about 20'. It would be interesting to put a tracker on road runner, and drop one out of a hot air ballon at 10,000, the one i mentioned was at 6800 ft. to see if they would enjoy the glide or come straight down.
We just had a road runner in our back yard yesterday n drove 20 miles up the road to get my brother out for lunch n he has a road runner running around in the yard , lots of em here in Texas .
Colorado River in AZ. While camping we watched a pair hunt and stalk around us, after a few days they took over a towel rack an umbrella and a chair
When leaving Porterville, California, I had a roadrunner run in the garage door and out back door in a flash.
Roadrunners didn't live where I grew up, but when I was a teenager, one mysteriously appeared on the hill opposite our house. He lived there for several years, and also somehow made a family, there. The family of roadrunners lived there only a while, then as mysteriously as they appeared, disappeared.
That area was pretty urbanized and there are no roadrunners there ever, realistically speaking. I asked a biologist about this, and he said while it seems unusual, that roadrunners are pretty solitary birds that do not flock and do not socialize with others of their species.
Thanks for the content.
Keep up the good work.
בס'ד
Thank you for the encouragement!
When I lived in South Texas, I was out on a ranch working on an oil well. I decided to take a nap at lunch, so I parked under a mesquite tree, rolled down the windows in my pickup truck and leaned back and dozed off. When I opened my eyes a road runner was on my side mirror about 3 feet from my face staring at me. It startled me and we both jumped, and he took off flying! I also
saw a roadrunner chase down a small cottontail rabbit for dinner. My dad saw one fighting a rattlesnake one time.
I got to see nesting RR's in SW Texas. The nest was in a low tree branch just outside the kitchen window. Oddly enough the birds were not the least bit intimidated by lights or humans in the kitchen, but they did get ruffled when the cat was on the sill. The 2 eggs hatched, and the young birds grew and were gone soon.
I attended UNM in Albuquerque for a time. I was eating lunch and catching up on my class reading one late spring afternoon, when I felt eyes on me. I turned to look, and there was this roadrunner watching me from less than three feet away. I never realized they were so big! He stayed with me until it was time to enter the lecture hall.
Fun experience!
When loading hay bales onto trucks at night in the Imperial Valley, roadrunners were often found on the stacks. The birds were easy to catch because they can't see in the dark.
My favorite bird. When I lived outside Tucson, AZ I pulled over so we could see better and watch what a roadrunner was after. We watched it take a small rattle snake in his beak, smash it against a boulder multiple times then swallow it down like a worm. Such an amazing thing to witness! They are the coolest birds to observe.
Great story. And love your user name!
I grew up in the hills of a Southern California community about 10 miles inland. We would see our Roadrunners run real fast and the leap into a short downhill fly over the chapperaul to escape.
Do they beep? Asking for a friend.
They do! I was surprised when I first heard one. It turns out that a lot of those cartoons are based in facts.
@@NoahSpurrier Except gravity facts, being blown up facts, etc.
They do NOT BEEP!!!!!!
@@NoahSpurrier they do not.
I grew up in what outside of Phoenix, Arizona and am very familiar with Roadrunners.They would come through our yard frequently. The last time I saw one do this was in the late 1970's, long after the city had overtaken our area. (38th St. & Thomas Rd.) They would often come out of the brush and "race" our vehicle on gravel roads and in dry, desert washes we would drive down. Their flying speed could easily exceed the 17 mph cited in this clip. They showed little fear of people and we enjoyed them immensely. The other Sonoran desert bird that would rather run than fly were the quail--all four species of them. When startled they wold fly a ways and sometimes hunker down among the rocks where they were almost invisible. I once stepped on one I didn't see. It wiggled out from under my foot and flew off frantically, almost giving me fart hailure in the process!!!
Great story. How wonderful. Thanks!
Fart failure? That's hilarious, I have those now that I'm older lol
Saw one yesterday on a bike ride. I stopped and played peek a boo as he got behind a bush. I kept my distance of about 50 ft and damn he caught a little lizard and ran off with it.
A few years ago, I observed a roadrunner come over my backyard fence after it spotted a hatchling bird that had fallen from a nest. It quickly killed the young bird, then picked feathers from it until the roadrunner knew the remaining portion was light enough for it to carry over the fence again and to its own nearby nest. With that baby bird, it fed its own offspring.
I usually have some in my yard in the summer here in northern Oklahoma but haven’t seen any this year yet.
Thanks, Absorbed In Nature.
I love to see our state bird, (New Mexico) on my property chasing lizards and grasshoppers. Awesome hunters.
Our home backs up to the desert and we have several that visit us. A couple of years ago we had a rattlesnake that came in. Never saw him again plus we have no scorpions. We always leave them treats so maybe this is their way of saying thanks.
I had to stay in the 😂Coachella Valley for almost three months one summer, rented a nice condo with a pool a short distance away. I began to notice a roadrunner who lived nearby. Every day I walked to the pool in the afternoon, and my little neighbor came with me. He’d busy himself around the landscaping while I swam and read and then walk back with me to the condo. When my stint there was over, I packed my car up and the little guy watched. When I left the next morning, locking up for the last time, I looked down to the welcome mat, and there was a beautiful large feather. I’ve kept it.
Great story!
Road runners are very very good hunters they are rattle snake killing machines. If you ever get a chance to see them in action take the time to watch it’s amazing
What the excellent introductory Roadrunner video didn't mention Is though they benefit from killing a rattlesnake with a partner, they can do it one-on-one, because the roadrunner is faster.
I live in Phoenix, AZ and occasionally I see them running down the streets.
I'm currently working on a ranch in Texas clearing a power line and there are so many RR out there that I haven't seen a snake or lizard. They are great to have around.
Another reason I love Roadrunners.
They are out east here in the Ozarks also!
I miss the roadrunners we had around us when I lived in the Mojave Desert. Moved to Plains out of necessity.
No longer on my bucket list due to advanced age is to catch a roadrunner.
I was always curious about that little bird's secrets.
I used to see roadrunners on my mountain bike rides in the California high desert. Sometimes they would run up the trail ahead of me and stop and look back to see if I was still coming. Little characters they are!
Love these cuckoos. I see them in Henderson and other parts around Las Vegas.
What? They always outrun/smart coyotes?! 😂Beep,beep!
They mimick puppy sounds to lure baby quail to catch. They also leave you gifts if they like you.
A lot of birds leave gifts if you help them out, etc...
I saw one in Conway, Arkansas in a McDonald's parking lot eating French fries.