Canku Ota - August 9, 2003 - How Roadrunner Became the Leader of the Birds

	Canku Ota
	(Many Paths)
	An Online Newsletter Celebrating Native America
	August 9 , 2003 - Issue 93


	How Roadrunner Became the Leader of the Birds
	an Apache Legend

This story is about a time when birds were still like people. The birds got together to talk. "The different clans (animals) all have leaders, but we do not," they said. "We are good for nothing. It would be good for us to choose a leader also. He could then speak for us about our activities," they said.

So the birds selected the oriole first. They said, "His feathers are very nice." Because of his feathers they thought they wanted him to be their leader. They discussed this for some time. "Well, never mind him after all," they said. "His long clothes are pretty, but he doesn't speak very much. If he becomes our leader he might not speak well for us in the future." They put him aside.

Then they chose the mocking bird. But they immediately said, "He is too talkative. He always speaks bad and mocks things. It would not be good for him to become our leader. He might speak even worse for us in the future." They put him aside to choose again.

The next time they chose a bluejay. "What would it be like for us if we chose him to be the leader?" they asked. "He is also like the other one. He talks too much. It would not be good for him to speak for us. He's too stubborn, and he also brags about himself. There would be a lot of mocking." They also set him aside.

"In that case, should it be the roadrunner?" they said. "He's good for sure. He would be fast for us in running to meetings. And he also talks well. It would be good for us if he became our leader."

Therefore, the roadrunner became the leader. Nowadays, roadrunner is the leader of all the birds.

Print and Color Your Own Roadrunner Picture
Roadrunner

Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus)

The most famous bird in the Sonoran Desert, without a doubt, the Roadrunner is also the most fictionalized in popular imagination. Cowboys used to tell tall tales about how Roadrunners would seek out rattlesnakes to pick fights, or would find sleeping rattlers and build fences of cactus joints around them. A later generation of Americans grew up thinking that Roadrunners were purple and cried “beep beep” as they sped about.

Even without such stretches or inventions, the real Roadrunner is impressive. Running in the open (and not just on roads), it reaches fifteen miles per hour. It can fly, but usually doesn’t. Often it seems curiously unafraid of humans. Trotting up close to peer at us, raising and lowering its mop of a shaggy crest, flipping its long tail about expressively, it looks undeniably zany. It comes as no surprise to learn that the Roadrunner is a member of the cuckoo family.

Clownlike it may appear to human eyes, but the Roadrunner is a very effective predator. Its speed on foot is not just for show: it captures not only snakes and large insects, but also fast-running lizards, rodents, and various small birds. Gambel’s Quail may pay scant attention to the Roadrunner at most seasons, but they react to it violently when they have small young, and with good reason: given an opportunity, the Roadrunner will streak in to grab a bite-sized baby quail.

Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus)
	Order:	Cuculiformes
	Family:	Cuculidae (Cuckoos)
	Spanish Names:	correcaminos, churea, paisano

Distinguishing features
Our largest cuckoo, this bird is characterized by a long tail, streaked appearance, frequently erected shaggy crest, and a blue and orange bare patch of skin behind the eyes. It is capable of running very rapidly across the ground (15 mph) and rarely flies. Like all cuckoos, the Roadrunner is a zygodactyl bird (it has 2 toes pointing forward and 2 toes backward).

Habitat
The Roadrunner prefers open country, desert, open pinon/juniper habitat.

Feeding

Diet: Feeds upon any animal small enough for it to kill and ingest, including small birds and snakes; young are fed insects, lizards, and mice; also eats some fruits and seeds.
Behavior: Hunts by walking briskly and running toward prey once it is located; also able to jump straight up in the air when small birds or flying insects are overhead. The adult uses its long tail as a rudder for maneuvering while running.
Life History

The pair bond in this species may be permanent; pairs are territorial all year. Courtship displays include, but are not limited to, presenting the mate with a twig or piece of grass and chasing one another.

The nest, which is constructed of twigs, is frequently found in cholla, mesquite, or palo verde. White eggs (3 to 6) are laid at intervals; if food is scarce the older, larger hatchlings will quickly seize all the food from the