Greater Roadrunner

Greater Roadrunner
Geococcyx californianus

The Greater Roadrunner is a familiar bird to anyone who has watched Looney Tunes cartoons.  Wile E. Coyote was always trying to make a meal of this desert bird who was able to run at impossible speeds with a simple beep-beep and avoid any type of Acme product rigged to flatten him. In reality, the roadrunner tops out at about 18 miles per hour; coyotes can usually find slower and easier meals.  The Greater Roadrunner is a ground-dwelling member of the cuckoo family who eats lizards, snakes, small rodents, and insects. Rather than fly, they prefer to run by flattening their tail and lowering their head. Also known as Paisano, the roadrunner is the state bird of New Mexico and celebrated in Texas with large statues in Fort Stockton (Paisano Pete) and Lufkin as the mascot at Angelina College.  There is even an independent league baseball team in Edinburg named the Roadrunners.  

In this picture, you can see how the roadrunner warms itself up after a cold night.  The roadrunner turns its back to the sun and fluffs out its feathers, using its black skin to absorb the warmth.  Because the roadrunner primarily gets water from its food, it has developed salt glands in front of its eyes to to excrete excess saltwater from its blood.  These glands are similar to those used by ocean going birds that drink seawater. Roadrunners will drink water when necessary and I once witnessed one drink from a puddle at a Boy Scout camp shooting range ... while the range was active and bullets flying!