Roadrunners (Geococcyx californianus) of the Southwest
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I am not in the SW and am missing seeing Roadies, The best alternative was to generate new posts from my archives. Here is one from my last visit to California.
Texas Icons. Roadrunner and Bluebonnets I have been hoping to get this opportunity all this spring. This roadrunner gave me the perfect pose in the perfect spot with the morning sun hitting it. . Thanks for looking and have a great weekend
I missed Cinco de Mayo by a week but my two posts tonight have a SW flavor in a belated recognition. Further, Roadrunners are one of my favorite species to photograph.
Southern California
A Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) in the desert landscape near Buckeye, Arizona, U.S.A.
21 February, 2014.
Slide # GWB_20140221_2848.CR2
Use of this image on websites, blogs or other media without explicit permission is not permitted.
© Gerard W. Beyersbergen - All Rights Reserved Worldwide In Perpetuity - No Unauthorized Use.
Cuckoo - Cuculus Canorus
The common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) is a member of the cuckoo order of birds, Cuculiformes, which includes the roadrunners, the anis and the coucals.
This species is a widespread summer migrant to Europe and Asia, and winters in Africa. It is a brood parasite, which means it lays eggs in the nests of other bird species, particularly of dunnocks, meadow pipits, and reed warblers. Although its eggs are larger than those of its hosts, the eggs in each type of host nest resemble the host's eggs. The adult too is a mimic, e that species is a predator, the mimicry gives the female time to lay her eggs without being seen to do so.
The English word "cuckoo" comes from the Old French cucu and it first appears about 1240 in the poem Sumer Is Icumen In - "Summer has come in / Loudly sing, Cuckoo!" in modern English.
The scientific name is from Latin. Cuculus is "cuckoo" and canorus, "melodious ".
A study using stuffed bird models found that small birds are less likely to approach common cuckoos that have barred underparts similar to the Eurasian sparrowhawk, a predatory bird. Eurasian reed warblers were found more aggressive to cuckoos that looked less hawk-like, meaning that the resemblance to the hawk helps the cuckoo to access the nests of potential hosts. Other small birds, great tits and blue tits, showed alarm and avoided attending feeders on seeing either (mounted) sparrowhawks or cuckoos; this implies that the cuckoo's hawklike appearance functions as protective mimicry, whether to reduce attacks by hawks or to make brood parasitism easier.
The common cuckoo is an obligate brood parasite; it lays its eggs in the nests of other birds. At the appropriate moment, the hen cuckoo flies down to the host's nest, pushes one egg out of the nest, lays an egg and flies off. The whole process takes about 10 seconds. A female may visit up to 50 nests during a breeding season. Common cuckoos first breed at the age of two years.
More than 100 host species have been recorded: meadow pipit, dunnock and Eurasian reed warbler are the most common hosts in northern Europe; garden warbler, meadow pipit, pied wagtail and European robin in central Europe; brambling and common redstart in Finland; and great reed warbler in Hungary.
Studies were made of 90 great reed warbler nests in central Hungary. There was an "unusually high" frequency of common cuckoo parasitism, with 64% of the nests parasitised. Of the nests targeted by cuckoos, 64% contained one cuckoo egg, 23% had two, 10% had three and 3% had four common cuckoo eggs. In total, 58% of the common cuckoo eggs were laid in nests that were multiply parasitised. When laying eggs in nests already parasitised, the female cuckoos removed one egg at random, showing no discrimination between the great reed warbler eggs and those of other cuckoos.
It was found that nests close to cuckoo perches were most vulnerable: multiple parasitised nests were closest to the vantage points, and unparasitised nests were farthest away. Nearly all the nests "in close vicinity" to the vantage points were parasitised. More visible nests were more likely to be selected by the common cuckoos. Female cuckoos use their vantage points to watch for potential hosts and find it easier to locate the more visible nests while they are egg-laying.
A Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) searching for some prey on the desert landscape near Buckeye, Arizona, U.S.A.
Its cryptic colouration allows it to blend so well into the desert landscape habitat in which it lives.
21 February, 2014.
Slide # GWB_20140221_2713.CR2
Use of this image on websites, blogs or other media without explicit permission is not permitted.
© Gerard W. Beyersbergen - All Rights Reserved Worldwide In Perpetuity - No Unauthorized Use.
Roadrunners always seem so proud when they catch a bite to eat.
Los correcaminos siempre parecen muy orgullosos al capturar algo de comer.
Roadrunners are aptly named. While they can fly, it seems they do a lot more ground travel. And they can outpace a human in a footrace. But, unlike the cartoons, they cannot outpace a coyote. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, a coyote may top out at a speed of 43 mph (~69 kph) while the roadrunner is only about 1/2 that speed. Still impressive though! They're very well adapted to the Desert Southwest, getting a lot of their moisture from the foods they eat like small juicy mammals or reptiles. Greater roadrunners are roughly the size of a crow (ish). Roadrunners are in the Cuckoo family of birds. (just learned that today 😁)
A greater roadrunner in the rather beige desert in which it lives. I kind of like these tough birds. This one had a hoard of photographers gathered around it. They're not uncommon, but not an everyday sight either.
As 2022 winds down, I'm posting a series of shots from each of our six trips taken during the year, in chronological order.
Our second trip included a few days in southern Arizona where we found this Greater Roadrunner along a trail in Saguaro National Park.
I would have preferred a pose with this guy facing just a little more to the right. But my time with him was very brief as it ran across the trail, paused for about 2 seconds and then scurried toward the nearest cover. So this will have to suffice.
Roadrunner
Sweetwater wetlands
We made the rounds today. Started at Silverbell Lake and ended up at Sweetwater. Good day of birding.
Tucson, Arizona
At the Great Southwest exhibit, Zoo America in Hershey, PA -
This facility is a gem. Burrowing owls, Roadrunners, Gambel’s quails and desert tortoises coexist in a large indoor garden... without glass or wire caging.
A Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) scurries through the scrub brush of the desert near Cave Creek Canyon in southeast Arizona, U.S.A.
2 March, 2012.
Slide # GWB_20120302_1230.CR2
Use of this image on websites, blogs or other media without explicit permission is not permitted.
© Gerard W. Beyersbergen - All Rights Reserved Worldwide In Perpetuity - No Unauthorized Use.
While I was working in my garden putting the seeds in the ground, this curious little guy, my “wild” pet, was sitting on the fence watching me. It knows I usually have a few tasty pieces of meat with me. :))
Smile on Saturday! - Emotions. I was invited to add this photo to the group. You have to figure out yourself what kind of emotion it is :)
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Roadrunners (Geococcyx californianus) are long, slender birds with long expressive tails, shaggy crests and strong legs for running. These birds are known for their swift and characteristic style of running (up to 15 mph for short distances). They prefer dry open habitat with scattered brush. Roadrunners range throughout the southwestern United States and into central Mexico.
By popular demand (two requests) I'm posting a Greater Roadrunner as part of my desert denizen series.
From the Cornell Lab:
"A bird born to run, the Greater Roadrunner can outrace a human, kill a rattlesnake, and thrive in the harsh landscapes of the Desert Southwest. Roadrunners reach two feet from sturdy bill to white tail tip, with a bushy blue-black crest and mottled plumage that blends well with dusty shrubs. As they run, they hold their lean frames nearly parallel to the ground and rudder with their long tails. Roadrunners have evolved a range of adaptations to deal with the extremes of desert living. Like seabirds, they secrete a solution of highly concentrated salt through a gland just in front of each eye, which uses less water than excreting it via their kidneys and urinary tract. Moisture-rich prey including mammals and reptiles supply them otherwise-scarce water in their diet."
This one was photographed scurrying around in Big Bend National Park.
I grew up watching the roadrunner cartoon..beep beep..our spring weather came to a screeching halt yesterday with snow and ice 😕..I will assess damages to the spring flowers in a few days...Thank you very much for viewing my photo ! I truly appreciate any faves and comments ! 🐦
We saw this roadrunner at Watson Lake. He was not shy at all. He ran right up to me and got startlingly close. Cool birds
This is such a cute picture of these little characters, which are my “pet” (still wild) roadrunners. They are actually watching my 2 “pet” ravens coming in to land.
The roadrunners (genus Geococcyx), also known as chaparral birds or chaparral cocks, are two species of fast-running ground cuckoos with long tails and crests. They are found in the southwestern and south-central United States and Mexico,[1][2] usually in the desert. Although capable of flight, roadrunners generally run away from predators. On the ground, some have been clocked at 32 km/h (20 mph) while a few have also been clocked up to 43 km/h (27 mph).[ci
Have a wonderful new week.
Here’s another one from the Lower Rio Grande Valley from earlier this month. This Greater Roadrunner was chasing what we assumed was its mate stopping from time to time to wag its tail. It was certainly a fun moment of the trip.
Geococcyx californianus
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Photographers know the challenge of getting a good bird in flight shot. When the bird is a Greater Roadrunner, the challenge can be when they're on the ground. Dang they're fast. A close look at this shot reveals the blur on the bird's foot even though the shutter speed was 1/1000.
This one was showing off its speed near Rio Grande Village in Big Bend National Park.