Greater roadrunner
Geococcyx californianus (R. Lesson, 1829)
The greater roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) is a species in the family Cuculidae, order Cuculiformes. Recorded adults weigh 286.1 g to 376 g and live up to 3.8 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.
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Quick facts about the greater roadrunner
- Weight
- 286.1 g – 376 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- 3.8 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Invertivoresrc for Diet
- Longest recorded lifespan
- 9 years
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- shrublandsrc for Habitat
- Egg incubation
- 18.8 dayssrc for Egg incubation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 4src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 12 monthssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 1.5src for Litters or clutches a year
- Lifestyle
- Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Sedentarysrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Where does the greater roadrunner live?
Not recorded
What is the greater roadrunner?
The greater roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) is a long-legged bird in the cuckoo family, Cuculidae, from the Aridoamerica region in the Southwestern United States and Mexico. The scientific name means "Californian earth-cuckoo". Along with the lesser roadrunner, it is one of two species in the genus Geococcyx. This roadrunner is also known as the chaparral cock, ground cuckoo, and snake killer.
From the Wikipedia article “Greater roadrunner” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Greater_roadrunner&oldid=1379926141), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the greater roadrunner endangered?
The greater roadrunner is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the greater roadrunner classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderCuculiformes
- familyCuculidae
- genusGeococcyx
- SpeciesGeococcyx californianus (R. Lesson, 1829)
Synonyms Geococcyx california, Geococcyx californianus californianus, Geococcyx californianus californicus, Geococcyx californicus, Geococcyx longicaudus, Geococcyx variegata, Leptosoma longicauda, Saurothera californiana
Other names and names in other languages (49)
- جواب كبيرArabic
- Каліфарнійская зязюля-падарожніцаBelarusian
- Голяма земна кукувицаBulgarian
- correcamins grosCatalan
- kukačka kohoutíCzech
- rhedwrWelsh
- Stor JordgøgDanish
- ErdkuckuckGerman
- Großer RennkuckuckGerman
- WegekuckuckGerman
- granda kurkukoloEsperanto
- Granda vojkuruloEsperanto
- Mamaguevo grandeSpanish
- Correcaminos grandeSpanish
- Correcaminos norteñoSpanish
- Suur-jooksurkäguEstonian
- suur-jooksurkägu (jooksurkägu)Estonian
- BidelariBasque
- kalifornianjuoksukäkiFinnish
- MamaguevoFrench
- Géocoucou de CalifornieFrench
- Grand GéocoucouFrench
- kukavica trkačicaCroatian
- kaliforniai földikakukkHungarian
- SprettgaukurIcelandic
- Mimì maggioreItalian
- corridore della stradaItalian
- オオミチバシリJapanese
- dirvinė bėgūnėLithuanian
- lielā skrējējdzeguzeLatvian
- Голема земна кукавицаMacedonian
- NaatsédlóziiNavajo
- Grote RenkoekoekDutch
- storløpegjøkNorwegian
- kukawka kalifornijskaPolish
- papa-léguas-grandePortuguese
- Калифорнийская земляная кукушкаRussian
- Калифорнийская кукушка-подорожникRussian
- kukuľa zemnáSlovak
- velika tekačicaSlovenian
- Ptica trkačicaSerbian
- större tuppgökSwedish
- Büyük YerkoşarıTurkish
- Büyük koşar gugukTurkish
- Земляная кукушкаUkrainian
- таязура-подорожник каліфорнійськаUkrainian
- 走鵑Chinese
- 大走鵑Chinese
- 走鹃Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataWikidataIUCN Red List
Relatives of the greater roadrunner
Other species in the same genus Geococcyx.
Lesser roadrunner
Geococcyx velox
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the greater roadrunner?
An adult greater roadrunner weighs 286.1 g – 376 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Is the greater roadrunner endangered?
The greater roadrunner is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.
How long does the greater roadrunner live?
The greater roadrunner has a recorded lifespan of 3.8 years.
What kind of animal is the greater roadrunner?
The greater roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) belongs to the family Cuculidae in the order Cuculiformes.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Greater roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/greater-roadrunner
“Greater roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/greater-roadrunner.
@misc{greater_roadrunner_2026,
title = {Greater roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/greater-roadrunner},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}