ROADRUNNER

Brittany Basile Biology 101

COMMON AND SCIENTIFIC NAMES

Scientific name is : Geococcyx

californianus
Common name is : Roadrunner

WHAT KIND OF ORGANISM??

Roadrunner is a Mammal

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE
Large black-and-white mottled

ground bird
Distinctive head crest Long, white-tipped tail and

oversized bill
Ranges from 20-24 inches in length 4 toes on each foot; two face forward, and two face backward.

ADAPTIONS FOR DESERT LIVING

Feathers to keep warn in the winter
Nasal gland eliminates excess salt (instead of using the urinary tract like most birds) Reduces activity 50% during the heat of midday Extreme quickness allows it to snatch a humming bird or dragonfly (gets water from animals it eats) Reabsorbs water from its feces before excretion

WHAT THEY EAT

Insects, lizards, snakes, rodents and other birds One of the few that prey on rattlesnakes because of its lightening quickness Snaps up rattlesnake by the tail and repeatedly slams head against the ground until dead

WHERE THEY LIVE

Mojave, Sonoran, Chihuahuan and southern Great Basin deserts. They are in all the Southwestern states. State bird of New Mexico

MATING
Male lures women in
using food (usually using lizard or snake dangling from its beak If female accepts the offered food, the pair mate. Male jumps into the air and onto his mate

MATING CONTINUED
Both parents collect small sticks to build shallow, saucer-like nests Female constructs nest in a bush, cactus or small tree She lays from 2-12 white eggs over a 3 day period (resulting in staggered hatching) Incubation from 18-20 days is done by either parent (preferably the male because the nocturnally incubating males maintain normal body temperature) First hatch crowd out the late-hatching eggs (which are sometimes eaten by the parents) Usually only 3 or 4 young fledge from nest after about 18 days

Remain near the adults for up to 2 more weeks before dispersing to the surrounding
desert.

INTERESTING FACT
Roadrunners have the ability to lower its own body temperature. It can lower its temperature to conserve energy during the cold desert night To reheat itself during the day, exposes dark patch of skin on its back to the sun

 http://calmzoo.org/animals/roadrunner/ http://www.desertusa.com/road.html