The name 'roadrunner' is coined from its habit of running along roadsides. They are inquisitive and cunning and like poking around the tents of campers. They produce a brood of three to eight nestlings. The eggs are very heavy relative to female body weight. Nests are large, untidy, shallow saucers of cow dung, snake skins and vegetation built in brush, cactus or low trees during breeding season.
Breeding is signaled by the appearance of red, white and blue skin behind the bird's eyes.
Lifespan Eight years. Diet Roadrunners eat small birds, rodents, lizards, and scorpions, and eat many insects. They also take snakes, even rattlesnakes. Food is usually swallowed whole. Predators Carnivorous mammals.