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Roadrunners and other members of the cuckoo family have zygodactyl feet. The roadrunner can run at speeds of up to 32 km/h (20 mph) [10] and generally prefer sprinting to flying, though it will fly to escape predators. [11] During flight, the short, rounded wings reveal a white crescent in the primary feathers.
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".
Horned lizards mostly hunt out in the open, licking up ants and other insects with their sticky tongues. However, this also makes the lizards easy targets for predators like roadrunners, coyotes ...
Snakes, larger lizards, and birds all make formidable predators to side-blotched lizards. Larger lizard species, such as collared, leopard, and spiny lizards, and roadrunners are the main predators. In turn, the side-blotched lizards eat arthropods, such as insects, spiders, and occasionally scorpions.
The Mojave fringe-toed lizard has a number of predators in its environment, consisting of roadrunners, badgers, loggerhead shrikes, coyotes, and various snakes. [10] As these lizards are camouflaged within their surroundings or hidden beneath the surface, many have been killed due to off-roading recreational vehicles. [3]
The most common version of the "from the ground up" hypothesis argues that bird's ancestors were small ground-running predators (rather like roadrunners) that used their forelimbs for balance while pursuing prey and that the forelimbs and feathers later evolved in ways that provided gliding and then powered flight. [45]
Predators, which mainly focus on young birds, include snakes, coyotes, and roadrunners. This may account for very low brood success in the species, as only 20% of nests are successful in a year. [18]:183-185. Curve-billed thrashers share a very similar range to the cactus wren, as well as a favorite species to nest in: the jumping cholla.
They are poor climbers. Natural predators include raptors such as hawks and eagles, roadrunners, wild hogs, and other snakes. When threatened, they usually coil and rattle to warn aggressors. They are one of the more defensive rattlesnake species in the US in the way that they stand their ground when confronted by a foe.