[Darksheare]

It looks and stands like a mud spattered crow.
What do they eat anyway, besides desert lizards.

[ErnBatavia]

What do they eat anyway, besides desert lizards.

They just kind of amble around aimlessly. They prefer meat like mice and lizards, but I think the bulk of their diet is stuff like crickets. Some people feed them little balls of raw hamburger.

I know they also dine on snakes; they can kill a rattler by avoiding the strike, grabbing it and beating it to death against the rocks. Now, that is something I want to see someday!

Just yesterday I watched on in the backyard have a three-foot faceoff with a chipmunk, but it lost interest and moved on.

Check my homepage for more pics.

[sweetliberty]

"Roadrunners are ground cuckoos, are any of about 15 species of birds constituting the subfamily Neomorphinae of the Cuckoo Family (Cuculidae), noted for terrestrial habits. There are 11 New World species, 3 of which lay their eggs in the nests of other birds."

Curious Facts

Roadrunners are quick enough to catch and eat rattlesnakes.

Roadrunners prefer walking or running and attain speeds up to 17 mph. hour

The Roadrunner is also called the Chaparral Cock.

The Roadrunner reabsorbs water from its feces before excretion.

The Roadrunner’s nasal gland eliminates excess salt, instead of using the urinary tract like most birds.

The Roadrunner is the state bird of New Mexico.

Vital Stats

Weight: 8-24 oz.

Length: 20-24 inches" Height: 10-12"

Sexual Maturity: 2-3 yrs..

Mating Season: Spring

Incubation: 18-20 days No. of Eggs: 2-12

Birth Interval: 1 year

Lifespan: 7 to 8 years

Typical diet: insects, lizards, snakes