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Roadrunner parent & chick
Tucson Birder

Roadrunner parent & chick (Geococcyx californianus)

I was just driving down my street and saw the adult Roadrunner carrying a House Sparrow. I got a few shots of the adult, then it moved out of sight. I drove around the corner and it handed off the prey to the chick. I missed the hand-off shot, but here's the young Roadrunner attempting to swallow the entire meal at once. It was even more suprising as I've seen Roadrunners in the neighborhood less than a dozen times, but apparently, they nest just down the street from me!
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Habitat
Suburban neighborhood, mixed native desert vegetation with lots of non-native ornamental plants
Location
Tucson, AZ
Date taken
June 15, 2024
Scientific name
Geococcyx californianus
Equipment used
Sony RX10 IV
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Reactions: Maia23 and Roynato
Stanley Jones
Supporter
An amazing behavioral picture. I never knew they killed other birds, its not surprising though. TFS TB!
 
Tucson Birder
Stanley Jones said:
An amazing behavioral picture. I never knew they killed other birds, its not surprising though. TFS TB!
Click to expand...
Yes, they will eat whatever they can get- lizards, small snakes, rodents, insects and birds. I don't mind the House Sparrow too much but I have seen them with other birds I like better and that is less welcome. But as the saying goes ... "nature red in tooth and claw" (or in this case, beak)
 

Media information

Category
North America
Added by
Tucson Birder
Date added
View count
276
Comment count
5

Image metadata

Device
SONY DSC-RX10M4
Aperture
ƒ/4
Focal length
110.1 mm
Exposure time
1/2000 second(s)
ISO
250
Flash
Off, did not fire
Filename
DSC01694.jpeg
File size
1.7 MB
Date taken
Sat, 15 June 2024 6:50 AM
Dimensions
2937px x 2203px

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