Sunday, February 2, 2014

Roadrunners

I saw two roadrunners yesterday working the front yard.  They didn't exactly work together, but they were about 25 feet apart.  They seem to be great birds to have around.  They were catching bugs every foot or so. We saw them last year off and on, so they seem to move location from time to time.  Maybe they are a pair getting ready to nest?  I have never seen a baby roadrunner, but since there are big ones, there must be babies.  They are really interesting to watch and all in all a beautiful bird even though they don't have much color.    http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/nonpwdpubs/introducing_birds/roadrunners/
 Wikipedia information:
The Greater Roadrunner nests on a platform of sticks low in a cactus or a bush and lays 3–6 eggs, which hatch in 20 days. The chicks fledge in another 18 days. Pairs may occasionally rear a second brood.
Greater Roadrunners measure 61 cm (2.00 ft) in length, about half of which is tail. They have long, wobbly legs and a slender, pointed bill. The upper body is mostly brown with black streaks and sometimes pink spots. The neck and upper breast are white or pale brown with dark brown streaks, and the belly is white. A crest of brown feathers sticks up on the head, and a bare patch of orange and blue skin lies behind each eye;[8] the blue is replaced by white in adult males (except the blue adjacent to the eye), and the orange (to the rear) is often hidden by feathers.[3]
This bird walks around rapidly, running down prey. It mainly feeds on insects, fruit and seeds with the addition of small reptiles, small rodents, spiders, scorpions, centipedes, millipedes, small birds, their eggs, and carrion, including roadkills. It kills larger prey with a blow from the beak—hitting the base of the neck of small mammals—or by holding it in the beak and beating it against a rock. Two roadrunners sometimes attack a relatively big snake cooperatively.
Although capable of weak flight, it spends most of its time on the ground, and can run at speeds of up to 20 mph (32 km/h).[8] Cases where roadrunners have run as fast as 26 mph (42 km/h) have been reported.[9] This is the fastest running speed ever clocked for a flying bird, although it is not as fast as the flightless Ostrich.[10]
I like what is on their menu ...

1 comment:

  1. Very Cool!!! I'm so happy I asked you about your blog! You HAVE been busy on it! Love you Mama!!!

    ReplyDelete