Geococcyx californianus (greater roadrunner)
Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) is one of the most fascinating birds in the Southwestern US. Members of the Cuckoo order, they're beautiful in their own way, very intelligent (by human standards), and have endearing habits and courtship rituals. They are also excellent parents, meticulously teaching their young the ways of the chapparal . They eat lizards and snakes, insects, bird's eggs and occasional rodents. A male Roadrunner can often be seen in the Spring carrying a lizard as a love offering to his intended! They make three distinct sounds, one is a bill clatter, or rattle, which you'll hear first in this sample. The second sound is usually heard during the breeding season (although I caught this one in October!), and is a cooing sound, very much like a dove's.
Douglas Von Gausig (recordist; copyright holder), Naturesongs.com
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
The Animal Diversity Web's use of this image is licensed by under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License; use of the image must credit the photographer:
Photo by . License: Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
The Animal Diversity Web team is excited to announce ADW Pocket Guides!
To cite this page: , .2004. "roadrun1.wav" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed December 06, 2024 at https://animaldiversity.org/collections/contributors/naturesongs/roadrun1/
Disclaimer: The Animal Diversity Web is an educational resource written largely by and for college students. ADW doesn't cover all species in the world, nor does it include all the latest scientific information about organisms we describe. Though we edit our accounts for accuracy, we cannot guarantee all information in those accounts. While ADW staff and contributors provide references to books and websites that we believe are reputable, we cannot necessarily endorse the contents of references beyond our control.
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation Grants DRL 0089283, DRL 0628151, DUE 0633095, DRL 0918590, and DUE 1122742. Additional support has come from the Marisla Foundation, UM College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, Museum of Zoology, and Information and Technology Services.
The ADW Team gratefully acknowledges their support.