Flight Lines: Roadrunner very real, just not here
From the following list of cartoon birds, select the one with the specific real life counterpart and matching name: Big bird, Roadrunner, Woody Woodpecker, Daffy Duck, Woodstock, and Tweety. Woody Woodpecker comes close, I guess, and Daffy Duck even includes the word “duck.” But only roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) meets the specifics called for in the first sentence.
I only mention this after hearing of an anecdote recently where, after bringing up the bird in conversation some years ago, someone questioned its existence; insisting the bird was strictly a cartoon creation. For inhabitants of the northern Great Plains such a conclusion could be excused I suppose. But the bird—greater roadrunner--indeed exists.
“Snowbird” friends and relatives who venture to the desert southwest during winter are undoubtedly familiar with this ground-loving bird. It’s large and unmistakable and has become quite inured to suburban living.
At about two feet long, this is a creature with a very long and agile tail, a considerably large bill (about raven size), a robust crested head, stout strong legs, and a reluctance to fly. Overall, its color is a mottled gray with muted streaks of white and brown. True to its name, the greater roadrunner is most often encountered running across a road. Although the bird is capable of flight, it is quite reluctant to take to the air.