Roadrunners

 Roadrunners

The tall slender bird races across the earth. He pauses for a moment, head bobbing from side to side and stares upward. His eyes flicker wildly, adorned with blue and red patches just behind the pupils. The roadrunner charges forward, darting ahead for a short distance, then stopping to bob his head from side to side. The roadrunner is hunting.

Roadrunners are one of the most instantly recognizable icons of the southwest, yet they are also one of the most misunderstood. As is often the case, the truth is much more amazing than the myth. Roadrunners are members of the cuckoo family. Their tracks in the dirt are one of the easiest to identify. Roadrunners are zygodactyls; meaning they have two toes which point forward and two which point backwards. This gives the predatory birds better traction for tree climbing and running. The long tail feathers which trail behind are designed to provide better balance for running. Roadrunners are swift birds, motoring along at 15 miles per hour.

The name roadrunner was given to them by the first European California colonizers. These early Californians were amazed as the birds ran alongside their horse drawn carriages, even occasionally darting in front of the wheels and hooves. The roadrunners were feasting upon the grasshoppers startled up by wagon and horse.

Roadrunners are probably most famous for their place in the pantheon of Looney Tunes cartoon stars. The popular cartoons feature a large speedy purple bird who says “Beep, beep!” and is pursued by his nemesis; Wile E. Coyote. Brilliant director Chuck Jones based his roadrunner features upon two simple rules. First, the roadrunner only runs on the road. Second, the roadrunner never harms the coyote but instead the coyote always harms himself when his nefarious schemes collapse on themselves.

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