The “Greater Roadrunner” Is The Official State Bird Of New Mexico. The Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) was Adopted as the official state bird on March 16, 1949. The New Mexico State Bird Roadrunner is famous for its distinctive appearance, its ability to eat rattlesnakes and its preference for scooting across the American deserts, as popularized in Warner Bros. cartoons.
The greater roadrunner is a chicken-sized bird. It has a brown-streaked tail, back, and wings. Its underbelly and front neck are lighter in color, and it has brown eyes ringed with yellow. its 3-inch beak is blue-colored, while the tail has a crescent of white feathers. Both males and females Greater Roadrunner have a bare patch of skin behind their eyes, called the postocular stripe. In females, it is blue and orange, while males have a white and orange patch. Adult State Bird Of New Mexico Roadrunner birds are about 25 – 30 cm in height and have a total body length of around 50 to 62 cm, a large portion of which is tail-size.
Despite New Mexico State Bird Roadrunner large size, they weigh less than 2 lb. Their most unique aspects of Roadrunner include a black crest of feathers on the head which can be raised or lowered at will. Another is their zygodactyl feet, which means each foot has two toes pointing forward two pointing backward. Greater Roadrunner bird is common in Southwestern US and other areas which possess its required habitat. It is found in Arizona, Utah, California, Texas, New Mexico, Nevada, Colorado, Louisiana, and Arkansas. State Bird Of New Mexico The greater roadrunner is an omnivore, which feeds on both animals and plants. 90% of its diet is composed of meat, while the rest 10% comprises seasonal seeds and fruits.
- Official New Mexico State Bird Name: Roadrunner
- American Ornithologists’ Union Common Name: Greater Roadrunner
- Other names: chaparral bird or chaparral cock
- Family: Cuculidae, Cuckoos, Roadrunners, Anis
- Scientific name: Geococcyx californianus
- Length: 23″ (58 cm)
- Diet: Animals (90%), including insects, lizards, snakes, rodents, birds (especially passerines); fruit (especially cactus) and seeds.
- Number of broods: 1, occasionally 2
- Eggs: Averages 4-6 white eggs with chalky yellowish coat. 1.5″ (39 mm).
- Incubation period: 20 days
- Fledge: 18 days after hatching
- Longevity Record: 3 Years and 9 months