I encountered this Greater Roadrunner running through the desert in South Texas. He paused and posed long enough for me to photograph him standing on the ground in the shrubby dry dirt. They are quite prevalent in the Southwest but are a treat for me because they don’t exist in the North Carolina mountains. This Greater Roadrunner has its crest elevated, showing the blue and red patch behind the eye. This bird is quite agile on the ground and is able to outrun humans and can actually jump up and grab smaller birds in flight, but they don’t fly very well themselves. If they need to fly, it is usually just a glide from a perch to the ground. The Greater Roadrunner is entertaining to watch because of its unusual characteristics and habits.

These Cuckoos are very familiar in the American Southwest.  They run on the ground beside the road (might be how they got their name?) and look like a cartoon character! This one stopped in the shadows beside the road and gave me the opportunity to get a close up look at him (or her).