The roadrunner rarely needs an introduction. At the very least, people have heard of the bird by watching Chuck Jones’ creation, Beep Beep. It was my only exposure to the existence of this member of the cuckoo family. However, the first time I saw a roadrunner, somehow I knew what it was.

The roadrunner is a ground bird, capable to run at speeds that would make some athletes jealous. It runs a little, to escape predator and to glide down from trees and cactus. Food wise, it is a generalist, eating insects, small mammals and birds, lizards and snakes and famously, young rattlesnakes. Unlike most birds, there is no visible difference between a male and a female roadrunner

The set of images below was taken in the Hill Country of Central Texas over the course of two years. It takes time and patience to learn the behaviors of an animal, to observe a group of them to learn the personality of each. With this knowledge, with time and with dedication, one can witness the life of roadrunners, hunting, mating, caring for the young, dodging predators.

An icon of the American Southwest, the roadrunner is known as a bird of the desert. This is true of course, the bird is at ease in the heat of the Sonoran and Chihuahua deserts. However, as one can see below, the roadrunner is also at ease in the rain and with its feet in water.

As I kept exploring my local area to photograph roadrunners, it became easier to find them. Some days, intuition directed my steps to find one or more geo-cuckoos busy running their lives. As it seems they grew accustomed to my presence, tolerating my following them.