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Greater roadrunner

Geococcyx californianus · also called Chaparral Bird, el corre caminos and el paisano · Last checked November 3, 2026.

A greater roadrunner standing on a dark boulder in profile, brown-and-white streaked body, crest and very long tail.
Adult on desert rock: streaked brown plumage, long tail, heavy bill Photo: Norman Kuring · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

The greater roadrunner is a large, ground-running member of the cuckoo family, found across the southwestern United States into central Mexico, and it is the state bird of New Mexico. It is a predator of lizards, snakes, including occasional rattlesnakes, and other small animals. No official source checked makes a statement about danger to people. National Park Service

On this page
  1. Is it dangerous?
  2. How to identify it
  3. Where it lives
  4. When it is active
  5. Habitat and habits
  6. Legal status and reporting
  7. Sources

Is the greater roadrunner dangerous?

How to identify a greater roadrunner

A photo or description can narrow it down, but cannot confirm what an animal is or that it is safe. Look from a distance and do not handle wild animals.

Close view of a roadrunner head and neck on a lawn, with a blue and orange-red skin stripe behind the eye and a long dark bill.
Head close-up showing blue and red bare skin behind the eye Photo: Jacob Collins · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist
A roadrunner on stony ground with its bill open, dark crest raised high and long tail stretched behind.
Adult calling with shaggy crest raised and long tail held out Photo: Gordon Leggett · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
A roadrunner sprinting low across dry golden grass under blue sky, its long tail held straight back.
Running across dry grass, body and tail stretched level Photo: Jonathan Eisen · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist
A puffed-up roadrunner with streaked brown feathers standing on a snowy rock.
Fluffed up against the cold on snow Photo: whitesandsnps · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist

Size: Up to 23 inches long; a large one weighs about 1 1/2 pounds. Oklahoma gives 52 to 62 cm. National Park Service

Colors: Brown feathers with white streaks, white tail edging, red and blue skin patch around the eyes. Pattern: Streaked brown and pale, darker above than below.

Key features

Where the greater roadrunner lives

Texas: on the state's official listCalifornia: on the state's official listMissouri: on the state's official listLouisiana: on an official sourceArkansas: on an official sourceOklahoma: on an official sourceNevada: on the state's official listNew Mexico: on the state's official listArizona: on the state's official list
Official presence. 9 states where a state list or official source names it. Gray means no official record in our data, not that it is absent.
  • Native or listed
  • Nonnative or not established
  • No official record in our data
Texas: 131,481 recordsCalifornia: 73,537 recordsOregon: 1 recordMissouri: 541 recordsTennessee: 1 recordLouisiana: 578 recordsOhio: 1 recordArkansas: 3,286 recordsColorado: 2,531 recordsUtah: 5,137 recordsOklahoma: 7,655 recordsNevada: 18,353 recordsNew Mexico: 63,058 recordsKansas: 799 recordsArizona: 161,210 records
Observation records. Open-licence records on GBIF in 15 states. Records are sightings people shared, not confirmation that a population lives there.
  • 1–9
  • 10–99
  • 100–999
  • 1,000+

On our state guides

State boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau, cartographic boundary file cb_2024_us_state_20m.

When it is active

Rare permanent resident in southwestern Missouri (MDC). Oklahoma: on cool nights it lowers its body temperature and becomes lethargic, then warms itself in the morning sun. Missouri Department of Conservation

US open-licence records peak in January to May and August to September.

468,557 US records by month (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY). Shows when people record it, not how many there are.

Habitat and habits

Habitat: Open country with little brush, often along roadsides; desert scrub, brushy areas and woodlands. Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation

Behavior: Mostly on the ground; solitary for most of the year. Warms up on cool mornings using dark skin on its back.

Diet: About 90 percent animal matter (Oklahoma): lizards, snakes, rodents, insects, scorpions, spiders, small birds; the rest fruit and seeds.

Young: Clutches of two to six white eggs in low trees, shrubs or cacti; both parents incubate for about 18 to 20 days.

Legal status and reporting

Federal: Protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act: listed in 50 CFR 10.13 (List of Birds Protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act). US Fish and Wildlife Service regulation

Protection: Federally protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (listed in 50 CFR 10.13). In Missouri a nongame species and a state species of conservation concern. Other state protections not established here. Missouri Department of Conservation

Sources

  1. Greater Roadrunner - White Sands National Park. National Park Service. updated August 21, 2020; checked November 3, 2026.
    Quoted passages (6)
    “Both grow up to 23 inches in length”
    “The characteristic shaggy crest on their heads can be raised or lowered at will.”
    “…roadrunners love to run and can reach speeds of up to 20 miles per hour.”
    “They can fly for short distances but prefer to remain on the ground where they hunt for prey.”
    “Throughout most of the year, roadrunners are solitary birds, only seeking out others during mating season.”
    “Females lay one to two clutches per year, each clutch consisting of two to six white eggs.”
  2. Greater roadrunner (New Mexico Wildlife magazine). New Mexico Department of Game and Fish. Vol 59 #2, Summer 2016 edition listed on page; checked November 3, 2026.
  3. State Bird. New Mexico Secretary of State. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
  4. Greater Roadrunner (Field Guide). Missouri Department of Conservation. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
    Quoted passages (4)
    “…its long tail; long, heavy, downcurved bill; and four toes positioned like an X reflect this relationship.”
    “The call is a descending series of ‘coos.’”
    “Rare permanent resident in southwestern Missouri.”
    “Nongame. Rare permanent resident in southwestern Missouri. The greater roadrunner is listed by the state as a species of conservation concern.”
  5. Greater Roadrunner (Field Guide). Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
    Quoted passages (2)
    “Greater roadrunners prefer open country with little brush to slow them down.”
    “A roadrunner's diet consists of about 90 percent animal matter; the remainder is fruit and seeds.”
  6. 50 CFR 10.13 - List of Migratory Birds. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regulation (eCFR, Office of the Federal Register). Title 50 up to date as of 10/30/2026; checked November 3, 2026.
    Quoted passages (1)
    “§ 10.13 List of Birds Protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. … Greater Roadrunner Geococcyx californianus.”
  7. GBIF.org occurrence records, human observations licensed CC0 1.0 or CC BY 4.0 only, accessed November 3, 2026. The datasets behind these counts are listed on our Sources page.
  8. State boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau, cartographic boundary file cb_2024_us_state_20m.