ORANGE COUNTY ZOO
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Roadrunner
Geococcyx californianus
Description:
Zygodactyl toes*. Long tail, streaked appearance, shaggy crest. Blue and
orange patch of skin behind eyes. Skin is heavily pigmented.
Range: Southwestern United States and Mexico.
Habitat: Chaparral, desert scrub, arid brush, open country.
Vocalizations: Male sings coo, coo, coo, ooh, ooh, ooh.
Diet: Insects, scorpions, lizards, snakes, rodents, young of ground-nesting birds, tarantulas, seeds, snails, fruit, including prickly pear.
Nest: The nest is made of twigs in a shallow cup one foot wide and three to fifteen feet up in cactus, mesquite or shrub in chaparral. Three to five white eggs are laid in march to July. Incubation is 20 days.
General Information: This member of the cuckoo family can run up to 15 miles per hour. It rarely flies. The name roadrunner comes from the habits of running down roads ahead of horse-drawn vehicles.
* Zygodactyl toes - A toe configuration in some birds where two toes point forward and two toes point backwards. This is found in parrots, woodpeckers and roadrunners.