Yes, there is, and it has many similarities with the friendly TV character. Just like in the famous cartoon, the real roadrunner lives in the deserts of the United States, especially in California. Its scientific name is Geococcyx californianus. It belongs to a family of curious-looking birds called the cuckoo, which has only one member, the Geococyx velox. Known among Americans as a roadrunner («runner of the roads»), the roadrunner measures about 50 centimeters, has long legs, olive brown and white plumage and a long dark tail. In the aridity of the desert, it finds sustenance by feeding on insects, lizards, scorpions and poisonous snakes. Despite being able to fly, he spends most of his time on the ground. This happens because the animal has a flight that is beyond awkward and not very functional. To compensate for this lack of aerial ability, the roadrunner is very agile with its legs, running at up to 30 km/h. To achieve this speed, he keeps his head and tail in line with his body and parallel to the ground. Guess why he runs so much? If you’re a fan of the cartoon, you must have guessed right: the roadrunner gives all this gas to escape the pursuit of the coyote, a species of American wolf found from Alaska to Central America. In addition to coyotes, other animals also love to have the roadrunner for lunch as a main course. Among these gluttons are hawks, crows, raccoons and snakes.
