The term coccyx [referring to the human tailbone] comes originally from the Greek language and means "cuckoo", referring to the curved shape of a cuckoo's beak when viewed from the side. [Wikipedia]
Randy · 13 July 2009
My (long gone) Grandmother on my fathers side for whatever reason collected road runner stuff; paintings, sculptures etc. I always smile a little when I see one of the little buggers because it makes me remember her. Sorry... that was probably oversharing.
stevaroni · 13 July 2009
I always smile a little when I see one of the little buggers because it makes me remember her.
Oddly, I always think of Fort Stockton. Probably because I end up driving through west Texas on a regular basis, and, well, they have this smack dab in the middle of the downtown busisness district.
(While we're on I-10, Fort Stockton does a much nicer job at roadrunner homage than Las Cruces, btw).
wright · 13 July 2009
I grew up seeing these birds haunting the brush of southern and central California; still come across them on walks here.
Graceful and swift little hunters. Thanks for sharing, Matt.
Not having ever seen one, do they actually live up to their moniker and run around US roads? If not, why the name? If yes, why are they not endangered?
Gerald said:
Not having ever seen one, do they actually live up to their moniker and run around US roads? If not, why the name? If yes, why are they not endangered?
They run very fast around along the ground, which often includes roads in the parts of North America where they live.
Roadrunners aren't endangered because most of them evolved the ability to avoid traffic, and humans find it to be too troublesome to collect and eat them.
Wheels · 14 July 2009
Stanton said:
Roadrunners aren't endangered because most of them evolved the ability to avoid traffic, and humans find it to be too troublesome to collect and eat them.
To be fair, even the most brilliant coyote who ever lived had a spot of bother on that front.
Henry J · 14 July 2009
Here's their page on the tree-of-life website: http://tolweb.org/Geococcyx/91904
Yarbrough · 14 July 2009
The best book I have seen about this bird is "The Roadrunner" by Wyman Meinzer, publ. 1993 by Texas Tech University Press. It makes a great coffee-table decoration.
I live in Southern CA, where RR's are commonplace, and they frequent our neighborhood. I vividly recall one encounter while driving a golf cart. I was driving at its top speed, about 20 MPH, when I was easily passed by a RR running in the same direction, chasing a lizard it spotted on the side of the road. They do not fly long distances, but can reach rooftops easily with a combination of leaps and flight.
dogmeatIB · 14 July 2009
Gerald said:
Not having ever seen one, do they actually live up to their moniker and run around US roads? If not, why the name? If yes, why are they not endangered?
Gerald,
Here in AZ we see them all the time. Saw one down the block from our house last week and again on Sunday. They seem rather intelligent (for birds) and are rather good at dashing across the street when cars aren't present, etc. You see far more coyotes on the side of the road than you do road runners, though if one gets hit it is rather difficult to tell them from any other bundle of feathers and gore.
Henry J · 14 July 2009
chasing a lizard it spotted on the side of the road
Which is why that coyote never catches him - wrong bait in the traps!!111!one!
(Dry bird seed, when what a road runners wants is a nice juicy lizard or snake? Hah!)
Sean · 15 July 2009
Wile E. Coyote's already been, Frank. That looks like his appendage in the roadrunners mouth...and I don't mean his coccyx. ;-)
BTW, anybody else broken their tail-bone? Man that hurts.
eric · 15 July 2009
Yarbrough said:
They do not fly long distances, but can reach rooftops easily with a combination of leaps and flight.
A good example of nature's answer to the creationist babble 'what use is half a wing?'
fnxtr · 15 July 2009
Sean said:
Wile E. Coyote's already been, Frank. That looks like his appendage in the roadrunners mouth...and I don't mean his coccyx. ;-)
BTW, anybody else broken their tail-bone? Man that hurts.
A slippery SI joint is bad enough, thanks.
Gerald · 15 July 2009
Sean said:
BTW, anybody else broken their tail-bone? Man that hurts.
I have a friend who had 6 children.
She broke her coccyx giving birth each time for the first 5. Labour and broken bones ouch. She also mentioned getting up in the middle of the night and sitting on your coccyx for a couple of hours a day to breast feed is really fun when you are recovering.
She insisted on a Caesar for the 6th.
20 Comments
Wheels · 13 July 2009
*fires up the Acme online catalog*
Rob F · 13 July 2009
Does anyone know why genus names ending in "-coccyx" are so pupular amongst the Cuculidae?
Reed A. Cartwright · 13 July 2009
"Coccyx" is Latin for Cuckoo. (Probably originally Greek, given the 'y' in it.)
Matt Young · 13 July 2009
Randy · 13 July 2009
My (long gone) Grandmother on my fathers side for whatever reason collected road runner stuff; paintings, sculptures etc. I always smile a little when I see one of the little buggers because it makes me remember her. Sorry... that was probably oversharing.
stevaroni · 13 July 2009
wright · 13 July 2009
I grew up seeing these birds haunting the brush of southern and central California; still come across them on walks here.
Graceful and swift little hunters. Thanks for sharing, Matt.
Jon Fleming · 13 July 2009
In Spain, the Roadrunner says "Bip
Frank B · 13 July 2009
Wile E. Coyote should be along any second now;)
Gerald · 13 July 2009
Not having ever seen one, do they actually live up to their moniker and run around US roads? If not, why the name? If yes, why are they not endangered?
Stanton · 13 July 2009
Wheels · 14 July 2009
Henry J · 14 July 2009
Here's their page on the tree-of-life website: http://tolweb.org/Geococcyx/91904
Yarbrough · 14 July 2009
The best book I have seen about this bird is "The Roadrunner" by Wyman Meinzer, publ. 1993 by Texas Tech University Press. It makes a great coffee-table decoration.
I live in Southern CA, where RR's are commonplace, and they frequent our neighborhood. I vividly recall one encounter while driving a golf cart. I was driving at its top speed, about 20 MPH, when I was easily passed by a RR running in the same direction, chasing a lizard it spotted on the side of the road. They do not fly long distances, but can reach rooftops easily with a combination of leaps and flight.
dogmeatIB · 14 July 2009
Henry J · 14 July 2009
Sean · 15 July 2009
Wile E. Coyote's already been, Frank. That looks like his appendage in the roadrunners mouth...and I don't mean his coccyx. ;-)
BTW, anybody else broken their tail-bone? Man that hurts.
eric · 15 July 2009
fnxtr · 15 July 2009
Gerald · 15 July 2009