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What the sources say

Greater RoadrunnerGeococcyx californianus

Every figure, record and mechanism on the Greater Roadrunner profile was written from a source, and this is the working table behind it: 48 claims checked word for word against these sources. The left column is what the page says. The right column is the source's own words, copied, not paraphrased; a ... marks a cut and[brackets] an insertion. Open any source and check it yourself.

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Source
01

Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan

Geococcyx californianus (greater roadrunner). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

The page saysMostly a bird of the southwestern United States
The source saysGreater roadrunners are primarily a species of the southwestern United States
The page saysis a member of the cuckoo family that would rather run than fly
The source saysFamily Cuculidae cuckoos, roadrunners, and relativesNote: "would rather run than fly" is the Behavior section: "they prefer to walk or run and will fly only when absolutely necessary".
The page saysIt weighs 227 to 341 grams (0.5 to 0.75 lb)
The source saysGreater roadrunners are medium-sized birds, weighing 227 to 341 g.Note: 0.5 to 0.75 lb is a unit conversion of 227 to 341 g.
The page saysstands about 25 to 30 cm (10 to 12 in) tall
The source saysthe height is between 25 and 30 cmNote: 10 to 12 in is a unit conversion of 25 to 30 cm.
The page sayswith a wingspan of 43 to 61 cm
The source saysGreater roadrunners have a wingspan of 43 to 61 cm.
The page saysIt ranges from California, Nevada and Utah east to Kansas, Arkansas and Louisiana, and south into Mexico
The source saysThey occur in California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Texas, New Mexico, Kansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Arkansas. Their range continues into southern Mexico
The page saysfavoring arid desert with scattered brush for cover and open grassy areas for foraging
The source saysThis species prefers arid deserts and other regions with a mix of scattered brush for cover and open grassy areas for foraging.
The page saysIt will fly only when it absolutely has to, and even then it stays airborne for only a few seconds
The source saysthey prefer to walk or run and will fly only when absolutely necessary. Even then, they can only remain airborne for a few seconds.
The page saysusing its long tail for steering, braking, and balance
The source saysThe long tail is used for steering, braking, and balancing.
The page sayscoyotes, hawks, house cats, skunks and raccoons prey on it, and it relies largely on its swiftness to outrun them
The source saysHawks, house cats, skunks, coyotes, and raccoons prey upon greater roadrunners. Coyotes also eat their eggs. This species relies largely on its swiftness to outrun predators.
The page sayslarge insects, scorpions, tarantulas, centipedes, lizards, snakes, and mice
The source saysThey eat large insects, scorpions, tarantulas, centipedes, lizards, snakes, and mice.
The page saysplus birds and eggs
The source saysAnimal Foods birds mammals reptiles eggs insectsNote: ADW's structured Animal Foods list for this species includes birds and eggs.
The page saysit also feeds on prickly pear cactus where it's available
The source saysThey feed on prickly pear cactus where available.
The page saysRattlesnakes have been known to end up on the menu too, although this is rare
The source saysThey have even been known to eat rattlesnakes, although this is rare.
The page saysthe bird walks fast, scanning for prey, then dashes forward to make the catch, sometimes jumping into the air to snatch a passing insect
The source saysWhen hunting they walk rapidly, scanning for prey, and then dash forward to make the catch. They may also jump into the air to catch passing insects.
The page saysTo kill something like a rodent, it smashes the prey's body and head against a rock and then swallows it whole
The source saysTo kill small creatures such as rodents, greater roadrunners smash the prey's body and head against a rock and then swallow it whole.
The page saysAt night it enters hypothermia to conserve energy
The source saysentering hypothermia at night to conserve energy
The page saysIn the morning and on cooler days, it positions its scapular feathers so the black skin underneath can absorb sunlight and warm the body
The source saysIn the morning and on cooler days, they position their scapular feathers so the black skin on the dorsal apteria can absorb the sunlight and warm the body.
The page saysone way the bird copes is by cutting its activity by 50%
The source saysOne way they do so is by reducing their activity by 50% in the heat of midday.
The page saysA crest of black feathers rises and falls at will
The source saysA particularly notable feature is the crest of black feathers, which is raised or lowered at will.
The page saysa bare streak of blue and red skin runs behind each eye
The source saysthere is a postocular streak of bare blue and red skin
The page saysRattlesnakes are known from its diet, but Animal Diversity Web calls them a rare meal
The source saysThey have even been known to eat rattlesnakes, although this is rare.Note: "Known from its diet" keeps the source's "known to".
The page saysIts regular menu runs from large insects, scorpions and tarantulas to lizards, other snakes and mice
The source saysThey eat large insects, scorpions, tarantulas, centipedes, lizards, snakes, and mice.
The page saysit kills small prey such as rodents by smashing them against a rock
The source saysTo kill small creatures such as rodents, greater roadrunners smash the prey's body and head against a rock and then swallow it whole.
The page sayssmashes prey against rocks, and warms up by sunbathing the black skin on its back
The source saysIn the morning and on cooler days, they position their scapular feathers so the black skin on the dorsal apteria can absorb the sunlight and warm the body.Note: Smashing prey: "smash the prey's body and head against a rock". Cuckoo: Family Cuculidae.
The page saysArid deserts, chaparral, and scrub across the American Southwest and into Mexico, with grassland at the edges of its range
The source saysThis species prefers arid deserts and other regions with a mix of scattered brush for cover and open grassy areas for foraging. For breeding, they require coastal sage scrub or chaparral habitat. In the outer limits of their range they may be found in grasslandsNote: Southwest into Mexico: "primarily a species of the southwestern United States" and "Their range continues into southern Mexico". "Scrub" is ADW's "coastal sage scrub" and its biome list ("scrub forest").
The page saysInsects, scorpions, tarantulas, lizards, snakes (rarely rattlesnakes), rodents, birds, and prickly pear cactus
The source saysThey eat large insects, scorpions, tarantulas, centipedes, lizards, snakes, and mice. They have even been known to eat rattlesnakes, although this is rare. Greater roadrunners are potential predators of quail, adult sparrows, hummingbirdsNote: Prickly pear: "They feed on prickly pear cactus where available." Rodents: "small creatures such as rodents". Birds are stated flatly in ADW's Animal Foods list ("birds mammals reptiles eggs insects") and in Birds of the World's prey list, so "potential" does not hedge the diet.
The page saysdangerLevel: Low
The source saysThere are no known adverse affects of Geococcyx californianus on humans.
The page saysweightKg: 0.28
The source saysweighing 227 to 341 gNote: 0.28 kg is the midpoint of the ADW range, used for the battle weight class (Light either way).
The page sayssteering and braking with its long tail
The source saysThe long tail is used for steering, braking, and balancing.

Source
02

White Sands National Park, National Park Service

Greater Roadrunner. White Sands National Park, National Park Service.

The page saysgrows up to 58 cm (23 in) long
The source saysBoth grow up to 23 inches in lengthNote: 58 cm is a unit conversion of 23 in. NPS (updated 2020) replaces ADW's 50 to 62 cm (2005): the current institution page wins.
The page saysIt can hit speeds of up to 20 miles per hour
The source saysroadrunners love to run and can reach speeds of up to 20 miles per hour
The page saysThe roadrunner eats pretty much anything it can catch
The source saysThey will eat carrion as well as pretty much anything they can catch
The page saysIts feet have two toes pointing forward and two pointing back, which leaves a distinctive X-shaped track
The source saysbig feet with four toes—two pointing forward and two pointing backward. This gives them a rather distinctive X-shaped footprint.
The page saysroadrunners are often mistaken for mourning doves, because of their cooing call, usually six to eight coos that drop in pitch
The source saysRoadrunners are often mistaken for mourning doves due to their cooing call.The call is usually six to eight "coos" long and descends in pitch with each "coo."
The page saysIt can reach speeds of up to 20 miles per hour on the ground. It can fly for short distances, but it prefers to remain on the ground, where it hunts for prey.
The source saysroadrunners love to run and can reach speeds of up to 20 miles per hour. They can fly for short distances but prefer to remain on the ground where they hunt for prey.
The page saysGround-running desert cuckoo that hits up to 20 miles per hour
The source saysroadrunners love to run and can reach speeds of up to 20 miles per hour
The page saysRuns at up to 20 mph
The source saysroadrunners love to run and can reach speeds of up to 20 miles per hour
The page sayssprints at up to 20 miles per hour
The source sayscan reach speeds of up to 20 miles per hour

Source
03

Hughes 2020

Hughes (2020). Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus). Birds of the World, Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

The page saysBirds of the World adds that it beats snakes and other prey repeatedly against a hard surface before eating them
The source saysit feeds on snakes, lizards, spiders, scorpions, insects, birds, rodents, and bats, which it beats repeatedly against a hard substrate before consuming

Source
04

Ohmart & Lasiewski 1971

Ohmart & Lasiewski (1971). Roadrunners: Energy Conservation by Hypothermia and Absorption of Sunlight. Science.

The page saysUnder artificial sunlight, sunning roadrunners kept a normal resting metabolism at air temperatures as low as 9°C
The source saysRoadrunners sunning in artificial sunlight consume oxygen at standard (basal) levels at ambient temperatures as low as 9.0 degrees C.
The page saysBasking saved them an average of 551 calories an hour, where a calorie is the small unit scientists use: about half of one food Calorie
The source saysEnergy savings of sunning roadrunners averaged 551 calories per hour.Note: 551 cal = 0.551 kcal (food Calories). The unit must be the small calorie: ADW/AnAge give a basal metabolic rate of 1.4661 W, about 1,260 cal an hour, so 551 kcal an hour (about 640 W) is impossible for a 300 g bird.
The page saysIn the dark it may let its body temperature drop into hypothermia, then warm back to normal by sunning itself, at a reduced energy cost
The source saysIn the dark, birds may undergo hypothermia. Hypothermic roadrunners can elevate their body temperatures to normal levels by sunning, at reduced metabolic cost.
The page saysUnder artificial sunlight, basking birds kept a normal resting metabolism in air as cold as 9°C and saved an average of 551 calories an hour, which is about half of one food Calorie
The source saysRoadrunners sunning in artificial sunlight consume oxygen at standard (basal) levels at ambient temperatures as low as 9.0 degrees C. Energy savings of sunning roadrunners averaged 551 calories per hour.Note: 551 cal = 0.551 kcal; see the body claim for why the unit is the small calorie.
The page sayssmashes prey against rocks, and saves energy by basking black skin on its back in the sun
The source saysEnergy savings of sunning roadrunners averaged 551 calories per hour.Note: Black skin on the back: ADW "black skin on the dorsal apteria".

Source
05

AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database, Human Ageing Genomic Resources

Geococcyx californianus. AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database, Human Ageing Genomic Resources.

The page saysThe oldest banded wild bird recovered was 7 years old
The source saysOldest banded individual recovered was 7 years old.Note: Replaces ADW's "7 to 8 years", which exceeds the banding record and sits beside ADW's own wild average of 45 months.
The page saysBird banding has recovered a wild roadrunner at 7 years old, the oldest banded bird recovered, and one bird lived 9 years in captivity
The source saysOldest banded individual recovered was 7 years old. One specimen lived 9 years in captivity

Source
06

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022

Geococcyx californianus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022: e.T22684458A152321922.

The page saysLeast Concern
The source saysIUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC).

How the table was made: a writer drafted the profile from these sources and logged each claim with its quote, a reviewer with nothing but this table checked every sentence said no more than its quote, and a script confirmed each quote appears word for word in the source. The method is in the site'sAbout page.