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Meeting a Greater Roadrunner

Photo of a black Phainopepla perched on a dead catclaw branch with a few mistletoe berries nearby
Greater Roadrunner Seeking Prey

It was a quiet morning in Culp Valley when we met this Roadrunner coming toward us. We stopped, and watched, with camera in hand.

The Greater Roadrunner is a busy hunter. Much of the time he is so busy hunting that he will run across the road in front of you as he goes about his business. If you are lucky, you will encounter a roadrunner on or near a quiet trail when he has prey in sight.

A member of the Cuckoo (Cuculidae) family, the ever-hungry Roadrunner feeds on snakes and lizards. It is a large bird requiring a large territory. While there may seem to be no end to its presence in the desert, it once occupied considerably greater territory throughout San Diego County than it does today. Development has not been friendly to the Roadrunner, nor will it ever be.