Greater Roadrunner
Geococcyx californianus
Classification
Domain Eukarya- All animal cells can be single-celled or multicellular and have a nucleus.
Phylum Chordata- Chordates have bilateral symmetry. They possess a structure called a notochord. The notochord is a rod that reaches almost to the full length of the body when it is fully developed.
Subphylum Vertebrata- They all have a vetebral column. The vertebral column circles and more or less chage the notochord as the main "backing" of the body in action. Their actions are added by muscles connected to the endoskeleton.
Class Aves- They all have a vetebral column. The vertebral column circles and more or less chage the notochord as the main "backing" of the body in action. Their actions are added by muscles connected to the endoskeleton.
Order Cuckoos and Relatives- Cuckoos and relatives.
Family Cuckoos, Roadrunners, and Relatives- Cuckoos, roadrunners, and relatives.
Genus Roadrunners- Roadrunners.
Species- The neck, wings, head, and back of greater roadrunners are densely streaked with white and are also a dark black-brown. The breast is essentially white. The eyes are blazing yellow and their is a postocular band of bald blue and red skin. The beak and legs are blue.
Adaptations
Physical Adaptations
- A roadrunner is between 25 and 30 cm tall.
- The wingspan for a greater roadrunner is 43-61 cm.
- An average wild roadrunner lives for about 45 months and ranges to about 7-8 years.
- The roadrunner is is comprehensive brown. It has a white edged tail. There is a patch of blue-and-orange skin with a white stipe behind each of their eyes.
- A roadrunners length is about 23 in. long.
- Roadrunners are relatively small and can only weigh the maximum of 380 g.
Behavioral Adaptations
- When roadrunners chase their prey, they will go up to 20 miles per hour to get it.
- You can find a roadrunner in most of the United States and also in part of Mexico.
- A roadrunner will eat pretty much anything it finds because it is an omnivore.
- They live in craggy deserts, scrub, grasslands, and dry and open habitats.
- It eats small birds, rodents, lizards, invertebrates, and snakes.
- At ages 2-3, a male and female roadrunner tend to reproduce.
References
Animal encyclopedia: 2,500 animals, from-the-field reports, maps, and more. (2012). Washington, DC: National Geographic.
Burton, M., & Burton, R. (2002). Roadrunner. In International wildlife encyclopedia v.1 (AAR-BAR) (3rd ed., Vol. 16, pp. 2184-2185). New York, NY: Marshall Cavendish.
Grisham, E. 2005. "Geococcyx californianus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed March 11, 2015 at http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Geococcyx_californianus/
Pictures:
http://www.tringa.org/images/2586_Greater_Roadrunner_11-19-2007_2.jpg