Lesser roadrunner
Geococcyx velox (Wagner, 1836)
The lesser roadrunner (Geococcyx velox) is a species in the family Cuculidae, order Cuculiformes. Recorded adults weigh 175.8 g to 187.2 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.
Quick facts about the lesser roadrunner
- Weight
- 175.8 g – 187.2 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Diet
- Invertivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- shrublandsrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- 2.4src for Young per litter or clutch
- 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 lesser roadrunner live?
Not recorded
What is the lesser roadrunner?
The lesser roadrunner (Geococcyx velox) is a large, long-legged bird that is a member of the cuckoo family, Cuculidae. It is found in Mesoamerica. Its Latin name means "swift earth-cuckoo". Along with the greater roadrunner, it is one of two species in the genus Geococcyx.
From the Wikipedia article “Lesser roadrunner” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lesser_roadrunner&oldid=1380690850), 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 lesser roadrunner endangered?
The lesser 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 lesser roadrunner classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderCuculiformes
- familyCuculidae
- genusGeococcyx
- SpeciesGeococcyx velox (Wagner, 1836)
Synonyms Cuculus velox, Geococcyx velox velox
Other names and names in other languages (36)
- جواب صغيرArabic
- correcamins menutCatalan
- kukačka zemníCzech
- kukačka pozemníCzech
- rhedwr bychanWelsh
- JordgøgDanish
- RennkuckuckGerman
- Kleiner RennkuckuckGerman
- eta kurkukoloEsperanto
- Malgranda vojkuruloEsperanto
- Correcaminos chicoSpanish
- Correcaminos tropicalSpanish
- SiguamontaSpanish
- väike-jooksurkäguEstonian
- pikkujuoksukäkiFinnish
- Géocoucou véloceFrench
- mala kukavica trkačicaCroatian
- kis futókakukkHungarian
- Mimì minoreItalian
- Corridore della strada minoreItalian
- コミチバシリJapanese
- mažoji bėgūnėLithuanian
- Мала земна кукавицаMacedonian
- Kleine RenkoekoekDutch
- dvergløpegjøkNorwegian
- kukawka meksykańskaPolish
- papa-léguas-pequenoPortuguese
- Малая кукушка-подорожникRussian
- kukuľa behaváSlovak
- Mala ptica trkačicaSerbian
- mindre tuppgökSwedish
- Küçük YerkoşarıTurkish
- Küçük koşar gugukTurkish
- таязура-подорожник малаUkrainian
- 小走鵑Chinese
- 小走鹃Chinese
Relatives of the lesser roadrunner
Other species in the same genus Geococcyx.
Greater roadrunner
Geococcyx californianus
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the lesser roadrunner?
An adult lesser roadrunner weighs 175.8 g – 187.2 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Is the lesser roadrunner endangered?
The lesser roadrunner is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.
What kind of animal is the lesser roadrunner?
The lesser roadrunner (Geococcyx velox) 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). Lesser roadrunner (Geococcyx velox). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/lesser-roadrunner
“Lesser roadrunner (Geococcyx velox).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/lesser-roadrunner.
@misc{lesser_roadrunner_2026,
title = {Lesser roadrunner (Geococcyx velox)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/lesser-roadrunner},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}