Greater roadrunner Facts for Kids
Geococcyx californianus · jee-oh-KOK-siks kal-ih-for-nee-AY-nus
A kind of cuckoo that runs across the desert instead of flying.
- 🏃 20 mph32 km/h1
- ⚖️ weight: not yet checked
- 📏 23 in58 cm1 long
- 🎂 lifespan: not yet checked
- 🍽️ meat
- Doing fine (Least Concern)
The roadrunner is a bird that lives in the desert. It has long legs and runs very fast. It can fly, but it would rather run.
A greater roadrunner has two toes pointing forward and two pointing back, so its footprints look like an X. It runs after lizards, insects and even snakes, holding its long tail out for balance as it dashes. On chilly desert mornings it warms up by turning its back to the sun.
Roadrunners belong to the cuckoo family. They can fly short distances but spend most of their time on the ground. They get most of their water from the food they eat, and a gland near the eye lets them get rid of extra salt, which helps them live in dry places.
How big is a greater roadrunner?
Greater roadrunner in numbers
| Length | 23 in58 cm1maximum |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | no checked number yet |
| Weight | no checked number yet |
| Top speed (running) | 20 mph32 km/h1running |
| How long it lives | no checked number yet |
| What it eats | lizards, insects, spiders, small snakes and rodents |
| Where it lives | the deserts and dry scrub of the southwestern United States and Mexico |
| What kind | Birds |
| Is it in danger? | Doing fine (Least Concern)2 |
A number we couldn’t find on a page we trust says so, instead of guessing.
Wow!
- Its footprints look like an X.
- It gets most of its water from the food it eats.
- A dark patch on its back soaks up the morning sun.
Compare the greater roadrunner
Friends and neighbours
Gila monster
Mojave desert tortoise
Fennec foxThree questions
Books about the greater roadrunner, free at the library
Ask a grown-up to tap the button: it shows where to borrow a book about the greater roadrunner for free.
Where these numbers come from
- National Park Service, White Sands National Park, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, Greater roadrunner (Q634804), checked 30 October 2026.