External signs of the ground cuckoo
The ground cuckoo is the largest representative of its family.
The bird's plumage is variegated, but modestly colored. The back is brown with white and red longitudinal spots. A small crest is visible on the head. The abdomen is whitish, the throat is leathery, covered with black streaks. There are no feathers around the eyes, the bare skin in this place is blue, and an orange spot stands out behind the eyes. The iris of the eyes is red.
The ground cuckoo has a body length of up to 60 cm. The legs are large and strong with two toes pointing forward and two toes pointing back. The tail is long, and the wings are short and weak, about 17 cm long. The beak is large and strong, equal to the length of the head. In terms of external characteristics, males and females do not differ from each other.
California ground cuckoo (Geococcyx californianus).
Links
- Video, audio and photographic materials about the species California Plantain Cuckoo
in the Internet Bird Collection database (English)
- California Plantain Cuckoo: information on the IUCN Red List website
- Photos of Californian plantain cuckoo
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
See what “California plantain cuckoo” is in other dictionaries:
California plantain cuckoo – dirvinė bėgūnė statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas atitikmenys: lot. Geococcyx californianus engl. greater roadrunner vok. Wegekuckuck, m rus. California cuckoo plantain, f pranc. grand géocoucou, m ryšiai: platesnis terminas – bėgūnės … Paukščių pavadinimų žodynas
Cuckoo family - Cuckoos are distinguished by a slightly bent, usually quite thin and widened beak at the base, the same length as the head, short or medium-length paired legs, long, narrow and sharp wings, long, rounded or... ... Animal life
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Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner are two characters from the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies animated short series of the same name. Both characters (coyote and California plantain cuckoo) were created by cartoonist and director Chuck Jones in 1948 for Warner... ... Wikipedia
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Geococcyx californianus - dirvinė bėgūnė statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas atitikmenys: lot. Geococcyx californianus engl. greater roadrunner vok. Wegekuckuck, m rus. California cuckoo plantain, f pranc. grand géocoucou, m ryšiai: platesnis terminas – bėgūnės … Paukščių pavadinimų žodynas
Wegekuckuck - dirvinė bėgūnė statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas atitikmenys: lot. Geococcyx californianus engl. greater roadrunner vok. Wegekuckuck, m rus. California cuckoo plantain, f pranc. grand géocoucou, m ryšiai: platesnis terminas – bėgūnės … Paukščių pavadinimų žodynas
dirvinė bėgūnė — statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas atitikmenys: lot. Geococcyx californianus engl. greater roadrunner vok. Wegekuckuck, m rus. California cuckoo plantain, f pranc. grand géocoucou, m ryšiai: platesnis terminas – bėgūnės … Paukščių pavadinimų žodynas
grand géocoucou — dirvinė bėgūnė statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas atitikmenys: lot. Geococcyx californianus engl. greater roadrunner vok. Wegekuckuck, m rus. California cuckoo plantain, f pranc. grand géocoucou, m ryšiai: platesnis terminas – bėgūnės … Paukščių pavadinimų žodynas
Reproduction of the ground cuckoo
Ground cuckoos are monogamous birds. During the breeding season, permanent pairs are formed. Plantain cuckoos live in certain areas, and the males strictly guard the nesting territory.
The California Plantain Cuckoo can be quite aggressive and is capable of attacking.
During the breeding season, birds behave quite aggressively and are able to attack even their own reflection on the surface of a car stopped in the desert. Birds build a nest from dry grass and twigs in bushes or thickets of cacti. The female lays 3-9 white eggs. The female and male incubate the clutch and feed the cuckoo chicks.
Lifestyle
Very long legs and a long tail are adaptations to the desert running lifestyle. The California Plantain Cuckoo is an extremely good runner. It can reach speeds of up to 42 km/h. The special arrangement of the toes also helps him in this, since both outer toes are located back, and both inner toes are located forward. However, it flies very poorly due to its short wings and can stay in the air for only a few seconds. The plantain cuckoo has developed an unusual energy-saving way to spend cold nights in the desert. At this time of day, his body temperature drops and he falls into a kind of motionless hibernation. On its back there are dark areas of skin not covered with feathers. In the morning, he spreads his feathers and exposes these areas of skin to the sun, due to which the body temperature quickly returns to normal levels.
Peculiarities of behavior of the ground cuckoo
The ground cuckoo has not only a characteristic appearance, but also habits.
While running, the ground cuckoo slightly extends its neck, slightly spreads its wings and raises its crest. The bird flies up into trees only when absolutely necessary and flies only short distances.
This ground bird prefers to spend the night, however, on the branches of low trees.
The name of the ground cuckoo can be translated from English and Spanish as “running along the road”; the bird simply prefers to move among the thickets along animal paths. The ground cuckoo usually feeds in open areas and finds food on the ground and roadside plants. In case of danger, thanks to its long legs, the cuckoo can demonstrate speeds of up to 30 kilometers per hour, but still prefers to hide in thorny bushes.
The plantain cuckoo is a very unsociable bird. Each individual of this species lives separately, almost never moving away from its place of residence. Here the bird feels like a complete master: it calmly and calmly walks in search of food, raising its tail and slightly tilting its body forward.
Spreading
The plantain cuckoo is found everywhere from southern California and Texas to Mexico itself, and is well known for its original appearance and peculiar way of life. It lives in deserts and semi-deserts in the south and southwest of the United States and northern Mexico. Both natives and settlers give it many names: in Mexico “little man” or “plantain”, in Texas - “steppe rooster”, in California it is called “ground cuckoo”. Short wings do not allow it to make long flights, but thanks to its long legs it can move very quickly on the ground. Therefore, the plantain cuckoo belongs to sedentary birds in the full sense of the word, and only in extreme cases does it change its once chosen place of residence to another.
Listen to the voice of the earth cuckoo
This bird moves completely differently in moments of danger. The ground cuckoo is not inferior in speed to any racing horse; not a single bird can compare with it.
Short wings do not allow the bird to make long flights; however, if necessary, the ground cuckoo changes its permanent habitat.
The ground cuckoo makes jumps up to 3 meters above the ground and, to maintain its body in the air, it opens its wings only for a minute, but moves a long distance. The bird can quickly fly a short distance, but its short wings do not allow it to rise above 2 meters in height.
The ground cuckoo has perfectly adapted to desert conditions. At night, when the ambient temperature drops to 10 degrees, the bird’s body temperature drops 4 degrees lower.
This allows the plantain cuckoo to save energy consumption. In the morning hours, cuckoos bask in the sun for a long time, fluffing the feathers on their necks and backs and spreading their wings. At the same time, peculiar “solar batteries” are turned on on the bird’s body; they quickly raise the temperature of the body, which has cooled overnight.
Feeding of the ground cuckoo
The ground cuckoo feeds on insects and snails. The bird removes the soft body of snails from the shell in open places, so the remains of its feast are often found in forests inhabited by ground cuckoos. The ground cuckoo, when attacking a snake, tries to strike it in the head with its powerful long beak.
This bird also attacks snakes and copes even with such a dangerous reptile as a rattlesnake.
At the same time, the bird constantly jumps, dodging the throws of the poisonous reptile. The ground cuckoo also feeds on rodents, lizards, small birds, insects, spiders, scorpions, among which there are poisonous individuals.
Occasionally, the plantain cuckoo eats leaves, shoots, and fruits of plants. The chicks are fed exclusively by reptiles. The ability to jump helps the ground cuckoo to hunt birds. In general, the predatory tendencies of this bird are obvious. In gluttony, predation, cunning and dexterity in obtaining food, this species is not inferior to other species of its family.
CALIFORNIA GROUND CUCKOO: Feathered Runner and Snake Hunter
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Cuckoos are one of the many species of birds. Birds familiar to us from childhood, which, probably, everyone asked to count the number of years of life. However, cuckoos are very diverse. And, contrary to popular belief, not all cuckoos are as we are accustomed to perceive them. Today we’ll talk about an unusual bird, completely different from its relatives, of which there are as many as 140 species.
Meet the California ground cuckoo, or California running cuckoo, or California plantain cuckoo (Geococcyx californianus) - a North American bird of the cuckoo family (Cuculidae). It lives in deserts and semi-deserts in the south and southwest of the United States and northern Mexico.
This bird is so different from the general idea of cuckoos that you are even amazed at how diverse birds that are relatives can be. Plantain cuckoo is the absolutely true name of this unusual bird, reflecting its essence and way of life. She got her name because she used to very often run along the roads behind passing carriages and catch all kinds of living creatures disturbed by the road.
The California ground cuckoo lives in North and Central America. This unusual bird lives in Mexico, as well as in the southeastern states of the United States.
For life, the ground cuckoo chooses desert, arid, rocky areas, with sparse grass vegetation, small shrubs, cacti, or small forests of dwarf oaks, forest edges. The lack of sufficient water in such places is not a problem for the ground cuckoo. Her body copes well with removing salts.
As I already said, the ground cuckoo belongs to the long-tailed cuckoos (Cercococcyx). And this is true, since her tail is very long. The body length of the cuckoo with a tail reaches 60 centimeters, height 25 centimeters. Impressive dimensions for a bird. There is something predatory and “reptilian” about this bird. It's like a little dinosaur with feathers.
The wings are short and weak, because in the process of evolution the ground cuckoo has adapted to run on the ground, getting food. Therefore, she practically does not need the ability to fly. But the long, strong legs are very well developed, having 4 toes each ending in strong and sharp claws. Thanks to such legs, the earth cuckoo is very agile, its running speed reaches 42 km/h! An excellent indicator, although it accelerates so quickly over short distances. And the average speed of movement is approximately 20 km/h.
This peculiar method of transportation sometimes prompts Mexicans to bait, which is undertaken, of course, not so much for the sake of cuckoo meat, but with the aim of demonstrating the skill of the rider in pursuit of such a fast bird.
The head of the ground cuckoo ends in a long and very powerful, strong beak, slightly curved downwards. This is a formidable weapon, capable of crushing the head of even fairly large prey. The color of the ground cuckoo's plumage allows it to camouflage well among the desert and semi-desert domains of this unusual bird. The brown color of the feathers is diluted on the back with variegated patches of yellowish or white. The lower part of the body is painted off-white. Behind the eyes of the ground cuckoo there are areas devoid of feathers, with blue skin.
A distinctive feature of this unusual bird is the rather large crest on its head, formed by long feathers. In the normal state it is not visible, but if the bird is alarmed, the crest fluffs up and rises.
The California ground cuckoo has developed an unusual, energy-efficient way to spend cold nights in the desert. At this time of day, her body temperature drops and she falls into a kind of motionless hibernation. On its back there are dark areas of skin not covered with feathers. In the morning, she spreads her feathers and exposes these areas of skin to the sun, due to which her body temperature quickly returns to normal levels.
Our running cuckoo usually leads a sedentary lifestyle. This is not a migratory bird. She spends most of her time on the ground, running around the neighborhood in search of treats. And only at night it settles on the branches of low-growing trees.
The interesting thing about this bird is that it is practically omnivorous and eats everything that lies poorly, including young rattlesnakes and scorpions, as well as other insects, sometimes very poisonous. In general, this unusual bird is not lacking in courage.
All kinds of insects and soft-bodied animals, especially snails, constitute the food of the plantain cuckoo. She usually cleans the shells of snails in open places, so that in the forests inhabited by these cuckoos, the remains of her dinner are often found.
Thanks to its skill in jumping, this cuckoo does not miss winged prey, and in general, in gluttony and predation, as well as in dexterity in obtaining prey, it is in no way inferior to other members of its family.
Indeed, as mentioned earlier, the ground cuckoo is ready to devour everything that runs poorly. She is very gluttonous. And it doesn’t matter if the prey cannot be swallowed all at once. The ground cuckoo will swallow as much as it can, and, for example, the snake's tail will dangle from its beak, waiting for space to become free in the cuckoo's stomach.
The glutton herself will calmly go about her business. The ground cuckoo hunts, constantly running during the day along animal trails and vigilantly looking out for prey.
Having noticed a snake, the earthen cuckoo rushes headlong towards it and begins its unusual dance, reminiscent of the movements of a matador in a fight with a bull. She spreads her wings and jumps, moving to the sides, preventing the poisonous snake from taking aim and biting.
Seizing the moment, the earthen cuckoo grabs the snake with its beak and swings it, like a whip, on the ground or on stones, breaking the victim’s head. And only then he calmly swallows the snake whole, without worrying at all about the poison.
But enough about the bad, let's move on to more pleasant moments. Most cuckoos, as we all know, are nest parasites, laying eggs in other people's nests to hatch their chicks. The ground cuckoo is one of the few that not only hatches its offspring on its own, but also jealously protects it from predators who are looking for an easy opportunity to profit from the chicks.
Ground cuckoos are monogamous birds, that is, they form permanent pairs and hatch chicks together. The mating season begins with the onset of the rainy season. The feathered man, having chosen his bride, performs a very original mating dance.
You know that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach? Well, for the Californian running cuckoo it’s the other way around. During the courtship process, the partner brings plump snakes or lizards in the female’s beak, and mating occurs only if the partner is satisfied with the chosen one’s prey. Like many other birds, the vocal range of California cuckoos is wide: from soft coos to sharp, loud trills. Having brought food to the female, the male chirps and twirls his tail. And then he jumps on her to go directly to mating. Since the California running cuckoo can reach speeds of up to 25 km per hour, it will not be difficult for the male to leave the scene immediately after the act of love. But most often, the groom shares all family responsibilities with his wife.
The pair builds a nest together. The male brings building materials, and the female makes a nest from twigs and dry grass, into which she then lays up to 9 eggs. Parents hatch their offspring together for 20 days, replacing each other. During the brooding period, ground cuckoos become especially aggressive, attacking without warning anyone who dares to approach the nest. The earth cuckoo raises its babies in truly Spartan conditions, giving preference to the strongest children, and devouring the weaker ones without mercy.
The ground cuckoo is an unusual bird, respected by the local population for its abilities. She is credited with many extraordinary qualities. This is a fearless and strong bird, not afraid of even strong enemies. Local residents eat the meat of the earthen cuckoo, believing that its incredible resistance to various poisons will be passed on to them. It is believed that if an earth cuckoo crosses your path, the day will be successful and prosperous.
This unusual bird is depicted on the coat of arms of the state of New Mexico, USA. This is what she is, the ground cuckoo, a bird that breaks stereotypes, completely unlike its relatives. A bird with such amazing abilities that one can only wonder how rich the imagination of nature is, which has endowed its inhabitants with such different skills.
Why do you think some birds have practically lost the ability to fly, preferring to run? Write in the comments!
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The meaning of the earth cuckoo
The ground cuckoo's meat is tasteless and hard as rubber, but local residents eat it. It is considered healing due to the bird’s amazing ability to digest poisonous snakes.
Ground cuckoo meat is considered medicinal due to the fact that the bird is able to digest poisonous snakes.
Mexicans endow the ground cuckoo with unusual properties. They carve amulets with the image of the plantain cuckoo and sell them to tourists. There is a sign that if an earth cuckoo crosses a traveler’s path, then the further journey will be easy and safe. The image of the earth cuckoo is used as the emblem of the American state of New Mexico and the Texas Folklore Society.
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California ground cuckoo
19.01.2015
The California ground cuckoo (lat. Geococcyx californianus) belongs to the Cuckoo family (Cuculidae). North Americans call it plantain or tayazura. She loves to collect shells from eaten snails and put them in one specific place. The presence of such piles indicates her close presence.
The species was first described in 1829 by the French naturalist René Primevaire Lesson.
