OkcPets Magazine July 2022

July / August 2022 • OKC Pets 29 dovelike “Co-coo-coo-coo-cooooooo” that prospective mates find appealing. Other calls are almost a hoot mixed with a laugh, like certain monkeys make. When road- runners are threatened, they clatter their beaks together in a sound much like a short buzzer that hardly sounds birdlike. Having rehabilitated cuckoos and roadrunners, I can promise that as babies, they have a unique begging sound, un- like other avian children. It comes from the back of the throat, with a whirring in the middle much like a vibration used in many Latin-based languages — sort of a “Kwhoo-dordldldle, kwhoo-oooo.” Roadrunners Are Enthusiastic Eaters Cuckoos, including roadrunners, are very enthusiastic eaters. When they gape, one can see an unusual pattern of spotting on the roof of the mouth that scientists suggest creates a target for parents when placing a morsel. And those mouths…. They are always open. Baby roadies eat a ton. Both parents (who usually mate for life) are very active in nest-sitting and raising the young, with Dad most likely to take on the night shift to keep eggs warm. Once hatched, Junior will eat everything — crickets, grasshoppers, caterpillars, spiders, scorpions, seeds, cactus fruits, snails, other baby birds, small and infant mammals, and the biggie — snakes, specifically rattlesnakes. To achieve full roadrunner size — about a pound in weight and two feet long — these opportunistic omnivores are quite the predators and stay that way for their life span of about eight years. They often work in teams. One roadrunner might line up in front of a rattler for distraction, moving toward it with a dramatic, overt stalking dance. The other bird then sneaks up from behind and with amazing strength behind that beak will nail the snake’s head. They both either peck until the snake is tender- ized or grab the stunned reptile and sling it against rock until it’s ready as a meal. (Note to future self: Do not reincarnate as a rattlesnake. Thank you.) Another intriguing menu item on the roadrunner’s list is the tarantula hawk wasp. That insect stings when provoked badly enough, and it’s considered the worst sting imaginable, taking first place at the top of the pain index. One researcher described it as “pain that simply shuts down one’s ability to do anything except scream.” So I kinda like the idea of having a roadrunner around as a backup plan, right? At least in tarantula hawk wasp territory…. Roadrunners Are an Adaptable Species Although Road Runner in the cartoon was always in the desert, where the species is well adapted, climate change has expand- ed its range. More and more greater and lesser roadrunners are found north and east of their original stomping grounds, which includes much of Oklahoma and the Tulsa area. They do well with drought and heat. Their nasal glands — which exit in front of the eyes — filter salt so that it doesn’t damage their urinary tracts. To stay on top of hydration, their bodies use every bit of moisture possible from their An adult roadrunner is a speedy, adaptable survivor in an evolving environment. Roadrunners have expanded their habitat because of climate change.