tags: Greater Roadrunner, Geococcyx californianus, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Greater Roadrunner, Geococcyx californianus, photographed at Laguna Atascosa Wildlife Refuge, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 29 March 2008 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/320s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
- Log in to post comments
Roadrunner. Field marks are the streaking, the crest, and the posture.
Roadrunner, blue around eye, lizard in mouth (not visible)
The Greater Roadrunner, Geococcyx californianus (actually a cuckoo from the family Cuculidae): head, neck, back, and wings dark brown-black and heavily streaked with white; crest of black feathers; postocular streak of bare blue (as would be legs and bill) with reddish-orange skin behind... the population from Texas south to Nuevo León and Veracruz in Mexico has been described as the subspecies dromicus
Another birdie butt -- sort of a theme related to leaving?
At least this one was pretty obvious (a roadrunner).
This is awesome. I have some shots of a roadrunner from more conventional angles, but I love this perspective. Also, I recognized it, mainly because this is usually the view I see -- only it's blurred, as the bird runs away.
You can really see their cuckoo features in the rudder tail and some in the face.