Greater Roadrunner, Geococcyx califorianus

Greater Roadrunner, Geococcyx califorianus. BEEP! BEEP! Photographs taken in Oak Hills, California. Photographs courtesy of Julie McGhee, Oak HIlls. Capable of running faster than Usain Bolt. If you don’t believe me ask Wylie Coyote!

Greater Roadrunner, Geococcyx califorianus. BEEP! BEEP! Photographs taken in the greater Palm Springs area of California, March 2012. Photographs courtesy of Dr. Tom Bartol, Carlsbad, California.

Greater Roadrunner, Geococcyx califorianus. BEEP! BEEP! Photograph taken in residential Hereford, Arizona, March 2013. Photograph and identification courtesy of Karen LeMay, Hereford (naturewideimages.com).

Background and Identification

Habitat and Geographical Range

Common Misidentifications

Conservation Status

The Greater Roadrunner, Geococcyx califorianus, is a member of the Cuculidae Family of Cuckoos. They are mid-sized in stature. In Mexico they are found in the coastal regions within the Atlantic Slope south to Tamaulipas, and within the Pacific Slope throughout the Baja, and from northern Sinaloa to the interior south to northern Michoacán and Hidalgo at elevations below 2,300 m (7,500 feet). From a conservation perspective the Greater Roadrunner is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are found in semiarid and arid open country with scattered scrub and brush. They have a diverse diet consuming a wide variety of bats, birds, frogs, insects, lizards, small to medium-sized mammals, scorpions, nonvenomous snakes, spiders, toads, and turtles.