Greater Roadrunner
Geococcyx californianus
Silhouette: Nicolas Huet le Jeune and Jean-Gabriel Prêtre (vectorized by T. Michael Keesey) · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderCuculiformes (Cuckoos)
- FamilyCuculidae (Cuckoos)
- GenusGeococcyx (Roadrunners)
- SpeciesGeococcyx californianus (Greater Roadrunner)
About the Greater Roadrunner
The greater roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) is a long-legged bird in the cuckoo family, Cuculidae, from the Aridoamerica region in the Southwestern United States and Mexico. The scientific name means "Californian earth-cuckoo". Along with the lesser roadrunner, it is one of two species in the genus Geococcyx. This roadrunner is also known as the chaparral cock, ground cuckoo, and snake killer.
Greater roadrunner fossils dating from the Holocene and Pleistocene have been found in California,Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, in the United States, and the Mexican state of Nuevo León. The oldest known fossil comes from a cave in New Mexico, estimated at an age of 33,500 years. In the La Brea Tar Pits, fragments from 25 greater roadrunner fossils have been found. Several other fossils are also known from Santa Barbara and Kern Counties, as well as Northern Mexico.
Prehistoric remains indicate that until 8,000 years ago, the greater roadrunner was found in sparse forests rather than scrubby deserts; only later did it adapt to arid environments. Due to this, along with human transformation of the landscape, it has recently started to move northeast of its... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Greater Roadrunner in Joshua Tree National Park
LIVEiNaturalistGlobal Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Cabo Pulmo National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 3 | Joshua Tree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 5 | Bahía de Loreto National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 6 | Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 7 | Yosemite National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Greater Roadrunner in Joshua Tree National Park?
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Greater Roadrunner sighting in Joshua Tree National Park, based on 1,926 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Greater Roadrunner in Joshua Tree National Park?
August has the highest sighting rate for Greater Roadrunner in Joshua Tree National Park in our monthly data.