Greater Roadrunner

A Greater Roadrunner may warm itself in morning sunshine by lifting its back feathers and exposing the dark skin beneath.

Jump to a word

The words

Black Skin
Heat-absorbing skin exposed when the bird raises its back feathers.
Canyons
Dry rugged habitat used by the bird.
Centipedes
Many-legged arthropods eaten by the bird.
Creosote
A shrub dominating some habitat occupied by the roadrunner.
Lizards
Reptile prey eaten by Greater Roadrunners.
Loblolly Pine
A forest tree in the roadrunner’s expanded eastern range, including Arkansas and Louisiana.
Nest Reuse
Pairs sometimes use a nest from an earlier year.
Orange Skin
Bright skin behind the eye revealed in threat displays.
Rattlesnakes
Venomous snakes that roadrunners can kill by repeated blows to the head.
Snakeskin
Material sometimes used to line the nest.
Streambeds
Open routes along which the roadrunner runs and hunts.
Sunbathing
A warming behavior in which the bird exposes dark skin to sunshine.
Tamarisk
A tree of some scrubby habitats used by the species.
Toads
Amphibian prey included in the diet.
Whining Call
A call made by a nesting female when the male pauses while gathering sticks.