Geococcyx Californianus Research Articles

ARGAS (PERSICARGAS) GIGANTEUS SOFT TICK INFECTION WITH RICKETTSIA HOOGSTRAALI AND RELAPSING FEVER BORRELIA ON WILD AVIAN SPECIES OF THE DESERT SOUTHWEST, USA

Changing climatic conditions and the northward expansion of ticks and pathogens are of immense importance to human, animal, and environmental health assessment and risk management. From 2014 through 2015, a wildlife rehabilitation center in south-central Arizona, US noted soft ticks (Argasidae) infesting 23 birds, including Cooper's Hawks (Accipiter cooperii), Gray Hawks (Buteo plagiatus), Harris's Hawks (Parabuteo unicinctus), Red-tailed Hawks (Buteo jamaicensis), Great Horned Owls (Bubo virginianus), Common Ravens (Corvus corax), and a Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus), during the late summer seasonal rainy seasons. The parasites numbered in the hundreds on individual birds. Infested birds were moribund, obtunded, or paralyzed on presentation, with no prior histories of illness or evidence of trauma. Tick and avian blood samples were collected for vector-borne pathogen analysis focusing on the molecular detection of Rickettsia and Borrelia species. Ticks were identified as the neotropical species of soft tick, Argas (Persicargas) giganteus; their occurrence in the southern US on raptors represented an expansion of host range. Pathogen testing of ticks showed that 41% of 54 ticks were infected with Rickettsia hoogstraalii and 23% of 26 ticks were infected with a relapsing fever Borrelia; both agents are associated with uncertain health consequences. Among the blood samples, one was infected with the same Borrelia spp.; this Red-tailed Hawk also had Borrelia-positive ticks. With supportive therapy, the majority of birds, 74% (17/23), recovered and were released or permanent residents. The management of soft tick-infested birds and mitigation of future disease risk will require additional characterizations of these poorly studied soft ticks and their associated pathogens.

Photographic Record of a Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) from Drew County, Arkansas

Photographic Record of a Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) from Drew County, Arkansas

Nest defense behavior of Greater Roadrunners (Geococcyx californianus) in south Texas

The Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) is a medium-sized predatory bird that occurs widely across the southwestern United States. Despite its prevalence in this region, studies examining the nesting and behavioral ecology of this species are limited. In 2015 and 2016, we examined relatively unknown aspects of roadrunner natural history by using infrared video cameras to observe antipredator behaviors associated with Greater Roadrunner nest defense. Nest predation accounted for all nesting failures in our study. The Great Plains rat snake (Pantherophis emoryi) accounted for 70.0% of nest predation. We observed rat snakes entering the nest and consuming eggs or nestlings for >6 min before roadrunners flushed from nest sites. We also observed 53.3% of roadrunners actively defending nest sites from snake predators and zero defending nests from coyotes (Canis latrans), likely because of the predator size. Active defense sessions in our study lasted 1 min 20 s (95% CI 1 min 17 s) and consisted of 12.0 (95% CI 3.4) bill strikes per min of active defense. We observed no successful nest defenses because partial nest contents were lost during each event; however, >50% of predation events with an active defense session resulted in preservation of at least one viable egg or chick, indicating nest defense was a valuable behavior. Examining nest defense behaviors in larger, predatory birds may elucidate risks and rewards associated with nest defense that may not be observed in studies focusing primarily on passerines.

GREATER ROADRUNNER (GEOCOCCYX CALIFORNIANUS) PREDATION ON JUVENILE QUAIL IN THE ROLLING PLAINS ECOREGION OF TEXAS

We observed an instance of a greater roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) capturing a juvenile quail in Mitchell County, Texas, on 7 July 2017. Despite very limited documentation of such events, the potential of roadrunners as predators of quail has long been suspected and requires further investigation.

Scavenging of migratory bird carcasses in the Sonoran Desert

In this study we report avian and mammalian scavengers foraging on migratory bird carcasses in the Sonoran Desert. We used remote cameras to monitor carcasses we found along a power line right-of-way (n = 25). We documented four species scavenging 10 carcasses (kit fox, Vulpes macrotis, n = 4; coyote, Canis latrans, n = 3; common raven, Corvus corax, n = 2, and greater roadrunner, Geococcyx californianus, n = 1) and recorded coyote tracks at three additional carcasses. Neither remote cameras nor tracks indicated the scavenger species of the remaining carcasses. Our data suggest migrant birds might provide an important food source for resident scavengers, particularly in desert habitats where food can be scarce. Our study also supports prior assertions that failure to account for removal of carcasses by scavengers might cause errors in estimates of mortality.

Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) Home Range and Habitat Selection in West Texas

We studied Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) habitat use during spring and summer 2011 on the Rolling Plains Quail Research Ranch in the Red Rolling Plains of west Texas. We captured 9 roadrunners (1 male, 8 females) and fitted each with a 10-g backpack-style radio-transmitter. We relocated roadrunners 2–4 times per week from February to August. Roadrunners used a mean minimum convex polygon home range of 43.0 ha, a 50% core range of 11.9 ha, and 33% overlap between adjacent home ranges. Home ranges were approximately half the size of those reported in a recent study of roadrunners in north Texas. Habitat selection ratios showed that roadrunners selected for ridge and grassland vegetation types and avoided bare ground and flatland vegetation types at both first- and second- but not third-order levels of selection. Similar results were documented for roadrunners in north Texas.

A morphometric sex determination model for adult greater roadrunners (Geococcyx californianus)

Little is known of the greater roadrunner's (Geococcyx californianus; roadrunner) ecology and many demographic questions are difficult to answer because of our inability to determine adult bird sex in the field. We collected measurements from live-captured roadrunners of known sex in Fisher County, Texas, USA, and from roadrunner specimens from museums and university biological collections from 2003 to 2012 to develop a predictive logistic regression model for adult sex determination. We measured 433 adult birds of which 80% (n = 346) were randomly chosen to build potential models. Our best model included the variable estimate bill depth, which was found to be larger in males and correctly classified 80% of the birds. We validated the model with the remaining 20% of measurements (n = 87) and correctly identified the sex of 85% of the birds. Because this model incorporated roadrunners from across their range, it provides an easy, inexpensive, accurate, and field-relevant methodology for sex determination of adult roadrunners at the point of capture. © 2014 The Wildlife Society.

Modeling Greater Roadrunners' (Geococcyx californianus) Habitat Use in West Texas

We studied Greater Roadrunners' (Geococcyx californianus) habitat use during spring and summer of 2011 in the Red Rolling Plains of west Texas. We captured 10 roadrunners (one male and nine females) and fitted each with a 10-g backpack style radio-transmitter. Roadrunners were relocated 2–4 times per week from February–August. We used these data to build a logistic regression model to better understand the vegetative and topographic features important to roadrunners during the nesting season. The initial data set consisted of 30 random and 30 used locations. The best model showed both percent rock and percent litter to be higher at used locations and correctly classified 88% of the sites. Evaluation of the model with an additional 30 random and 30 used locations maintained significance of both the model and variables and correctly classified 83% of sites. Both variables were associated with the location's mesa ridge slopes. Litter dominated locations under shrubs on the ridge tops and slopes and likely provided security from predators, nest sites, and relief from extreme summer temperatures. Percent rock cover characterized locations on ridge tops and slopes which provided perch sites, travel lanes, and foraging sites where the roadrunners could find basking prey.

Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) Kills Juvenile Desert Cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonii)

Abstract We observed a greater roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) kill a juvenile desert cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonii) in Anza Borrego State Park, San Diego County, California. We estimated that the cottontail was several weeks old based on its pelage, length of ear, and size relative to the roadrunner. This is the largest prey known to be captured by a roadrunner.

Isolation and characterization of microsatellite DNA markers in the Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus)

We report the development of eight polymorphic microsatellite loci for the Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus), a terrestrial cuckoo distributed in the US Southwest and Mexico. These markers will be useful for population genetics and molecular ecology studies of this bird.

Nesting Ecology of the Black-Capped Vireo in Southwest Texas

Abstract There is little information about nesting ecology of the federally endangered Black-capped Vireo (Vireo atricapilla) in the southern and western region of its breeding range, which is characterized by xeric thornscrub and patchy low-growing vegetation. We mapped territories and monitored 119 Black-capped Vireo nests across seven study sites in 2009 and 2010 in Val Verde County, Texas in the Devil's River region on the western edge of the Edwards Plateau. We observed 69 nests with cameras to identify nest predators. Clutch size was significantly smaller in 2009 (3.4 ± 0.82) than in 2010 (3.8 ± 0.43). Both nest depredation and parasitism by Brown-headed Cowbirds (Molothrus ater) were >10% higher in 2009 than in 2010. There was a large diversity of nest predators identified including Brown-headed Cowbird (n = 4), snakes (n = 4), and Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) (n = 3). Species identified that have not been previously observed as Black-capped Vireo nest predators were bobcat (L...

Geococcyx californianus

A case of Geococcyx californianus gives information about the remedy and demonstrates the usefulness of analysing cases using “atmosphere”. The possible physical focus and a possible core of Bird remedies are discussed.

Polymerase Chain Reaction‐Based Sex Identification in the Greater Roadrunner

Abstract: We determined a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)‐based method to identify the sex of greater roadrunners (Geococcyx californianus). We found that previously reported primer combinations used in other bird species did not work reliably in roadrunners. However, a novel primer combination (P2‐1237L) allowed for consistent and reliable sex identification of roadrunners. Conducting several PCR replicates per sample helped to identify occasional preferential amplification of the Z band that could occur in females (the heterogametic sex; i.e., WZ). Identifying the sex of individuals will allow for examination of sex‐associated differences in home range size and habitat use, population demographics, and parenting behavior, as well as for a better understanding of the social system of roadrunners.

Polymerase Chain Reaction–Based Sex Identification in the Greater Roadrunner

We determined a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)–based method to identify the sex of greater roadrunners (Geococcyx californianus). We found that previously reported primer combinations used in other bird species did not work reliably in roadrunners. However, a novel primer combination (P2-1237L) allowed for consistent and reliable sex identification of roadrunners. Conducting several PCR replicates per sample helped to identify occasional preferential amplification of the Z band that could occur in females (the heterogametic sex; i.e., WZ). Identifying the sex of individuals will allow for examination of sex-associated differences in home range size and habitat use, population demographics, and parenting behavior, as well as for a better understanding of the social system of roadrunners.

Bird Nesting in Chickasaw Plum Related to Age of Plum in Oklahoma

Abstract We described passerine nesting in Chickasaw plum (Prunus angustifolia) as related to plum age in north-central Oklahoma during the 2007 and 2008 nesting seasons to better understand the role of plum in bird ecology. We measured properties of nests (height aboveground), nest-supporting stems (height, diameter, age) and nesting stands (age, area). We observed Bell's vireos (Vireo bellii), brown thrashers (Toxostoma rufum), field sparrows (Spizella pusilla), northern mockingbirds (Mimus polyglottos) and painted buntings (Passerina ciris) nesting in plum stands and inferred nesting by blue grosbeaks (P. caerulea), greater roadrunners (Geococcyx californianus), mourning doves (Zenaida macroura) and northern cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis). Nest height was consistent among species at averages ranging from 0.7 m (se = 0.13, n = 5) for field sparrows to 1.1 m (se = 0.07, n = 30) for northern mockingbirds. Bell's vireos and field sparrows nested on younger stems (average age = 7 y) than the ot...

Description and ecologic analysis of Hollanda luceria, a Late Cretaceous bird from the Gobi Desert (Mongolia)

Avian fossils from the Upper Cretaceous of Mongolia provide significant scientific insight into the evolution of early birds, primarily due to the scarcity of continental interiors with a well-documented avifauna in the Cretaceous record. This paper describes in detail the anatomy and histology of a new taxon of early ornithuromorph bird, Hollanda luceria, from the Barun Goyot Formation at Khermeen Tsav in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia. The new taxon is represented exclusively by hindlimb elements, and is characterized by having elongated hindlimbs with an extremely reduced metatarsal IV and an unusual tibiotarsal-femoral articulation centered on a highly peaked lateral articular facet of the tibiotarsus. Cladistic and ecospace analyses were also carried out in order to infer evolutionary relationships and ecology of this primitive bird. These analyses indicate that the new taxon is a previously undescribed lineage of basal ornithuromorph and an outgroup of Ornithurae ( sensu Chiappe, 2002), which may have had a cursorial lifestyle similar to that of the modern roadrunner, Geococcyx californianus.

Relationships between Human Disturbance and Wildlife Land Use in Urban Habitat Fragments

Habitat remnants in urbanized areas typically conserve biodiversity and serve the recreation and urban open-space needs of human populations. Nevertheless, these goals can be in conflict if human activity negatively affects wildlife. Hence, when considering habitat remnants as conservation refuges it is crucial to understand how human activities and land uses affect wildlife use of those and adjacent areas. We used tracking data (animal tracks and den or bed sites) on 10 animal species and information on human activity and environmental factors associated with anthropogenic disturbance in 12 habitat fragments across San Diego County, California, to examine the relationships among habitat fragment characteristics, human activity, and wildlife presence. There were no significant correlations of species presence and abundance with percent plant cover for all species or with different land-use intensities for all species, except the opossum (Didelphis virginiana), which preferred areas with intensive development. Woodrats (Neotoma spp.) and cougars (Puma concolor) were associated significantly and positively and significantly and negatively, respectively, with the presence and prominence of utilities. Woodrats were also negatively associated with the presence of horses. Raccoons (Procyon lotor) and coyotes (Canis latrans) were associated significantly and negatively and significantly and positively, respectively, with plant bulk and permanence. Cougars and gray foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) were negatively associated with the presence of roads. Roadrunners (Geococcyx californianus) were positively associated with litter. The only species that had no significant correlations with any of the environmental variables were black-tailed jackrabbits (Lepus californicus) and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus). Bobcat tracks were observed more often than gray foxes in the study area and bobcats correlated significantly only with water availability, contrasting with results from other studies. Our results appear to indicate that maintenance of habitat fragments in urban areas is of conservation benefit to some animal species, despite human activity and disturbance, as long as the fragments are large.

CALIFORNIA LEAST TERN CHICK PREDATION BY GREATER ROADRUNNER

We present the first documented account of adult greater roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) feeding on California least tern chicks (Sterna antillarum browni). This predation event occurred at a designated nesting site within Batiquitos Lagoon, San Diego County, California, in 1996. We hypothesize that the concentrated foraging efforts by the roadrunner were an opportunistic response to a localized abundance of favorable prey items, which warrants an increased awareness at other least tern nesting sites situated in close proximity to greater roadrunner habitat.

Lizard Abundance in an Exurban Southwestern Savanna, and the Possible Importance of Roadrunner Predation

Ranches are being converted to low density exurban housing developments in the southwestern United States, with potentially significant but little studied impacts on biological diversity. We counted lizards in a grassland and mesquite/oak savanna in southeastern Arizona, along 48 transects evenly divided among landscapes that were grazed by livestock, embedded in housing developments, both or neither. Terrestrial lizards as a group (mostly Aspidoscelis uniparens and Holbrookia maculata) were scarce in developed areas, especially where homeowners kept livestock. Combined counts of lizards (Sceloporus clarkii, Sceloporus undulatus and Urosaurus ornatus) associated with three dimensional substrates did not differ among landscape categories. Roadrunners (Geococcyx californianus), known predators of terrestrial lizards, were more common in developed areas, especially those that were grazed. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that the relative scarcity of terrestrial lizards in developed landscapes was due to increased predation by roadrunners, but predation by other species, especially domestic pets, may also have been important.

RESPONSES OF GREATER ROADRUNNERS DURING ATTACKS ON SYMPATRIC VENOMOUS AND NONVENOMOUS SNAKES

Innate avoidance responses by potential predators to color patterns of snakes have been reported. Predation that is nonrandom with respect to the phenotype of the prey species is a well-characterized mechanism of natural selection, the driving force of adaptive evolution. Using both model and live snakes, we investigated the responses of 11 naive roadrunners, Geococcyx californianus, to 3 sympatric species of venomous and nonvenomous snake (Micruroides euryxanthus, Pituophis catenifer, and Crotalus atrox). Neither model nor live coral snakes elicited overt avoidance responses from the birds. Models elicited fewer pecks than moving live snakes. A gopher snake and a rattlesnake also failed to elicit overt avoidance behaviors. However, in contrast to the coral snakes, both snakes elicited a significantly higher number of leaps and wing flips, behaviors used by roadrunners when subduing dangerous prey. We conclude that roadrunners have no overt innate reactive behaviors to color patterns of coral snakes. Roadrunners do display such behaviors to rattlesnakes and gopher snakes as if both were dangerous prey, suggesting either Batesian or Mullerian mimicry.