Roadrunner

Description:

As pictured, this bird can reach up to two feet in length from tip of beak to tip of tail. It has an erect dark-feathered head with red white and blue markings in the temple area. The brown/white patterns on its body allow it to blend into its surroundings. Roadrunners can fly, although they spend most of their time on the ground ‘running’ down prey.

Habitat:

This roadrunner was spotted in the Mojave Desert in Red Rock Canyon west of Las Vegas. The area is desert where it meets the foothills of the Spring Mountains.

Notes:

Roadrunners are best known for their ability to kill and eat venomous rattlesnakes and insects such as scorpions, although they will also eat lizards, mice and birds. That pictured had just picked up a baby bird that must have fallen from the nest. According to several online sources, these birds sometimes hunt cooperatively…for instance, one will distract a snake, while the other ambushes it and grabs it by the head. Once captured, the roadrunner will beat the snake against a rock or the ground until dead. These guys are most often seen by me either along or crossing roads (Beep Beep), and are generally shy and difficult to approach in the desert.