Greater Roadrunner Documentary

Roadrunners are thought to be monogamous birds, meaning the male and female mate with each other for life. Breeding season varies each year in accordance to correct temperature and food availability. The male and female work together to get the nest ready for the eggs; the male collects the materials and the female builds it. After the nest is made, usually on a low tree or cactus, the female lays 3-10 white eggs. Because the female’s body temperature drops at night, the male is in charge of incubating the eggs. After 20 days, the chicks hatch and both parents care for them. The chicks are able to leave the nest within 18 days, but the parents care for them for about 30-40 days more. The lifespan of a roadrunner is roughly 8 years. This bird is omnivorous and its diet consists of insects, small reptiles, small mammals, eggs, nestlings, fruits and seeds. They also eat many venomous desert species like spiders, scorpions, and rattlesnakes. They may leap in the air to catch insects or even hummingbirds, and commonly batter live prey against the ground to subdue them.