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Anis Cuckoos and Roadrunners: Cuculiformes

Cuculiformes And People

People who have never seen a cuckoo may recognize its call. They've heard an imitation of it when a cuckoo clock chimes the hours. Some people think that the actual cuckoo's call means that rain is on the way. In some places, cuckoos are called rainbirds.

MORE THAN A CARTOON CHARACTER

Unlike the Warner Brothers bird in the cartoon, the roadrunner doesn't say, "Beep, beep." The roadrunner coos, travels at a speed of 15 miles per hour (24 kilometers per hour) through the desert, and is wily about protecting its nest. The roadrunner will pretend to have a broken wing to lure predators, animals that hunt it for food, away from its nest.

Additional topics

Animal Life ResourceBirdsAnis Cuckoos and Roadrunners: Cuculiformes - Physical Characteristics, Behavior And Reproduction, Cuculiformes And People, Common Cuckoo (cuculus Canorus): Species Accounts - GEOGRAPHIC RANGE, HABITAT, DIET, CONSERVATION STATUS