Birds › Cuckoos
Greater Roadrunner
Geococcyx californianus
25 photos
Study shows up to four per card, from different observers, so you learn the species rather than one picture. Heart the good ones and swap any you do not like.
Photos you add are credited to you, and you keep the copyright.
Easily confused with
Lesser RoadrunnerGeococcyx velox
Wild TurkeyMeleagris gallopavo
Northern MockingbirdMimus polyglottos
Black-crowned Night HeronNycticorax nycticorax
Great-tailed GrackleQuiscalus mexicanus
Cactus WrenCampylorhynchus brunneicapillus
Curve-billed ThrasherToxostoma curvirostre
White-winged DoveZenaida asiatica
Study checks a spoken answer against these, and tells you which one you named.
Where it is recorded
| United States | 36,836 |
|---|---|
| Texas | 13,046 |
| California | 9,789 |
| Arizona | 6,730 |
| New Mexico | 4,475 |
| Mexico | 3,586 |
| Colorado | 3,219 |
| Missouri | 1,758 |
| Nevada | 1,300 |
| Kansas | 936 |
Counts show where people looked, not only where it lives.
Traits
Behavioral
- CarnivoreEats other animals or animal-derived prey as a major part of its diet.BIRDBASE avian traits database
Group and habits
- Tree nestingListed by a harvested source as nesting in trees.BIRDBASE avian traits database
- Shrub nestingListed by a harvested source as nesting in shrubs.BIRDBASE avian traits database
- Platform nestingListed by a harvested source as building platform nests.BIRDBASE avian traits database
- Brood-parasite hostListed by a harvested source as a host of brood parasites.BIRDBASE avian traits database
Classification
| Kingdom | Animals · Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Chordates · Chordata |
| Class | Birds · Aves |
| Order | Cuckoos · Cuculiformes |
| Family | Cuckoos · Cuculidae |
| Genus | Roadrunners · Geococcyx |
Study it in a deck
Or build your own from the species near you.
Sources
- Names, taxonomy and observation counts: www.inaturalist.org
- Photos and recordings: the creator and source are on each one.
- Traits: BIRDBASE avian traits database (CC BY 4.0)
- How much to rely on each source
Remember the name next time.
Practise Greater Roadrunner with real photos from different observers. Say the name out loud, and it comes back just before you would forget it.