Greater Roadrunner — Image by kenne
This is the thirteenth posting on this crazy adorable bird. The largest cuckoo, the Greater Roadrunner is characterized by a long tail, streaked appearance, frequently erected shaggy crest, and a blue and orange bare patch of skin behind the eyes.
A speedster, this cuckoo is capable of running rapidly across the ground (15 mph) and only occasionally flies. Like all cuckoos, the Roadrunner is a zygodactyl bird (it has 2 toes pointing forward and 2 toes backward).
Hardly a day goes by without seeing one in the Sonoran desert. A predator, but unlike in the cartoons the Roadrunner is prey to the coyote.
–kenne
Beautiful photo. Never too many roadrunners!
Nice species profile!