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Birds › Desert scrub › Greater Roadrunner

Greater Roadrunner

Geococcyx californianus

Runs at about 30 km/h (20 mph) and is quick enough to catch and eat rattlesnakes.

Where to see it for real: Brush piles and a garden without pesticides give it lizards and insects to hunt.

Spot it in the game

Lives in the Desert scrub habitat (Sonoran Desert, Arizona and Mexico).

Greater Roadrunner, Geococcyx californianus
Photo: Matt Felperin, CC BY 4.0, via iNaturalist. Cut out from the original photo.

Greater Roadrunner facts

Family
Cuckoos
Length
21 in (54 cm)
Wingspan
19 in (49 cm)
Weight
11 oz (300 g)
Diet
Lizards, snakes, insects, scorpions, small birds and mice.
Range
Deserts and dry scrub of the southwestern United States and Mexico.
Nest
A platform of sticks in a cactus or thorny bush, 1 to 3 m (3 to 10 ft) up.
Song
A slow series of dove-like coos falling in pitch, and a clattering of the bill.
Active
at dawn and by day
Status
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: widespread and not at risk.

What the Greater Roadrunner sounds like

Recording 1: kirk gardner, CC BY 4.0, original on iNaturalist. Trimmed and cleaned of low background noise.

More: bird songs and calls.

More birds of the desert scrub

Cactus WrenCactus WrenDesert scrubGambel's QuailGambel's QuailDesert scrubGila WoodpeckerGila WoodpeckerDesert scrubCurve-billed ThrasherCurve-billed ThrasherDesert scrubVerdinVerdinDesert scrubPhainopeplaPhainopeplaDesert scrub

Spot the Greater Roadrunner yourself

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