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Roadrunners
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Weight: 8-24 oz.
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Length: 20-24 inches"
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Height: 10-12"
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Lifespan: 7 to 8 years
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Typical diet: insects, lizards, snakes
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The Roadrunner’s nasal gland eliminates excess salt,
instead of using the urinary tract like most birds.
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Roadrunners prefer walking or running and attain speeds
up to 17 mph. hour
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Roadrunners are quick enough to catch and eat rattlesnakes.
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The comical roadrunner prefers running to flying and has been clocked
at speeds of 15 miles per hour. They are approximately 22 inches in
length and their diet consists of insects, lizards, centipedes, mice
and snakes. Persecuted for presumed predation on quail, roadrunners
were the target of state and federal bounty programs in the early
twentieth century. The bounties ended when scientific studies showed
that roadrunners rarely eat quail and instead prey mostly on insects
and reptiles. Roadrunners are known by various names, including chaparral
cock, paisano, and snake-killer. Enshrined in the folklore of native
peoples, these terrestrial members of the cuckoo family are renowned
for their prowess as predators, and admired for their superb adaptation
to arid and semi-arid habitats. In the heat of the day, roadrunners
reduce their activity and rest in shade, losing heat by panting or
by raising wings and feathers to expose skin to cooling winds. To
conserve water, they can excrete salt from their nasal glands. In
winter they take shelter from the wind and cold by roosting in trees
or among rocks at night. They sunbathe in the mornings, exposing dark
skin beneath the back feathers. |
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| Bird rescue & bird adoption;
parrot refuge/rescue & placement for unwanted birds. |
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| Check out our list of local
birds broken down by your state and different types of
species. |
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| Migrating birds stay on track
because of chemical reactions in their bodies that are
influenced by the Earth's magnetic field... |
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Part
I
November
19, 2004