Representing strength, courage and endurance, Geococcyx californianus is a member of the Cuckoo family, with 147 species spread around the world.
Contributed by Lori Buffum with credit to Tania Homayoun, TPWD
How many of us have had the privilege of observing the roadrunner in its natural habitat? We get excited when we see one occasionally running across the road in our neighborhood here in Austin County but, gosh, hardly knew much more about them than what we learned from the cartoon featuring a coyote and a roadrunner, beep beep!
Geococcyx californianus is a member of the Cuckoo family (Cuculidae) with 147 species spread around the world. Our Texas native is best recognized by its long tail and sharp beak as it stretches out in typical racing position (capable of running 20 mph).
Here are a few distinctive characteristics: They can be talkative, with a vocabulary of coos, barks, and rattles (but nary a beep). And adaptable, with physical characteristics well suited to arid habitats, like being able to reabsorb water, excrete salt, and cool their brains. And what do they eat? Well, just about any animal they can catch, including insects, snakes, birds, rodents, frogs. But watch out, roadrunner, because you are both predator and prey (for snakes, hawks, and yes, coyotes). The roadrunner mates for life and stakes out a distinct territory for its family, generally nesting high in thickets of small trees or shrubs. Choosing a mate even involves a “wedding gift.”
Although the population of the greater roadrunner is historically stable across its typical habitat, there are still many threats it faces: habitat loss (urbanization), encounters with pesticides in food, proximity to roads and solar installations, human predation (mistaken as threat to game birds like quail).
In Native American stories and traditions, the roadrunner represents courage, strength, and endurance. Those traits, exemplified in the noble bird chosen for rewarding recertification will inspire all of us as we work to fulfill the Texas Master Naturalist mission in 2025.
