The Well-named Roadrunner

Some birds are poorly named. Many a birder has complained about this and I've blogged about this topic before. 

Every now and then it's good to be reminded why certain birds are named the way they are. 

Take the greater roadrunner for example. Recently I encountered one on Blue Sky Road outside of Willcox, Arizona. This bird was skulking along in the thick mesquite along the road and then seemed to realize that I was the editor of a major birding magazine—or perhaps he just wanted to help me come up with a fun blog post. Either way, he obliged me by actually running down the road.

 

Now that I think about it, maybe he thought I was a wily coyote, chasing him in a rental car.

Roadrunners are kismet birds. You can't simply say "I want to see a roadrunner," and then go find one. In fact, the harder you look for one, the more elusive they seem to be. They just pop up, unannounced, give you a quick look or two, and scamper off into the brush.

Or on down the road.