Thursday, April 23, 2015

Purple and Blue, Shake Those Tail-feathers! ©

This bird is born to run. 
The Greater Roadrunner can outrun a human, kill a rattlesnake, and thrive in the harsh, hot landscape of the Southwest Desert.


The lighting was just right to capture the special coloration of the tail feathers of this roadrunner.  But this isn't necessarily a male because of the beautiful colors--the male and female look alike. 


A crest of brown feathers sticks up on the head, and a bare patch of orange and blue skin lies behind each eye but the blue is replaced by white in the adult male.  


Roadrunners like to sunbathe. 
They ruffle their back feathers to allow the sunlight to warm their skin below.























This pre-historic desert-dweller is a puzzle--what is going on with this roadrunner?  Did you know that the roadrunner is a member of the cuckoo family?

(Copyright 2015)

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