• Subfamily Cuculinae- Old World Cuckoos
• There are no flock members in this subfamily.
• Subfamily Neomorphinae- Ground-Cuckoos, Roadrunners

Geococcyx californianus- Greater Roadrunner

View range map of Greater Roadrunner here.

This ground-cuckoo is a famous desert bird of arid lands, scrub deserts and mesquite groves of the south western United States. It can run at speeds up to 18 miles per hour. At top speed it streamlines its body by holding its head and tail flat to the ground. After cold desert nights the Greater Roadrunner turns its back to the morning sun, and fluffs its feathers to expose black skin which quickly absorbs the heat. The Greater Roadrunner is omnivorous, and feeds on spiders, insects, snakes, scorpions, lizards, birds, eggs, rodents, carrion and some fruit. It captures its prey on the ground by grabbing it and beating it against a rock or the ground. The Greater Roadrunner forms a long term pair bond and together the pair defend a large territory over many breeding seasons. The male collects nesting material and the female builds a platform nest of sticks lined with leaves, grass, feathers and snake skins, in a thorny bush, tree or cactus. Both birds incubate the 3-6 eggs for approximately 20 days. The chicks are altricial (helpless) and are brooded or shaded by the parents constantly for the first 4 days after hatching. The parents feed the chicks insects initially and later lizards. The chicks fledge between 14 and 25 days of age, and continue to forage with the parents until they are able to feed themselves fully at about 30 day after fledging. The Greater Roadrunner has been persecuted because it has been thought to eat the eggs and chicks of Quail, a popular game bird. Studies have shown that Greater Roadrunners rarely consume Quail, but follow them to capture the insects they flush. These studies also provided evidence of the value of Greater Roadrunners in controlling insect populations for crop protection. However this legally protected species continues to be shot. This species is also threatened by habitat loss, especially urbanization which reduces insect populations on which it depends for food.

• Subfamily Crotophaginae- Anis
• There are no flock members in this subfamily.