The Great Southwest Nature Factbook

(From "Roadrunner") John Bartlett, a surveyor mapping the United States–Mexico border during the First Boundary Survey of the 1850s, wrote of a "most voracious bird," said to attack fearlessly and feed on all manner of "hideous creatures," including rattlesnakes. The greater roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus), a two-foot-long, crested bird with an oversized bill, flashy black-and-white speckled plumage, and long tail, does indeed attack small rattlesnakes. Using its short, wide wings like a matador's cape, the bird deflects the striking fangs until the reptile tires. Then the roadrunner kills the rattler and swallows it whole. New Mexico's state bird, roadrunners are year-round inhabitants of the deserts and other hot, arid country of the Southwest and southern Great Plains.

True to their name, roadrunners prefer to run rather than fly. With their long legs, they can sprint as fast as 15 miles per hour. Their speed is a good defense, allowing them to outdistance most predators. It is also a good offense, since they hunt on the run, chasing and catching insects, lizards, scorpions, and other small animals.

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