Chaparral Cock Skull Replica or Greater Roadrunner measures 3.7 in, museum quality polyurethane cast. Chaparral Cock Skull Replica is 2-part skull (separate cranium and jaw). Made in the USA.
Chaparral Cock or Greater Roadrunner bird is a long-legged bird in the cuckoo family, Cuculidae, from the Southwestern United States and Mexico.
The scientific name means “Californian earth-cuckoo”. This roadrunner is also known as the chaparral cock, ground cuckoo, and snake killer.
The Chaparral Cock or Greater roadrunner is about 20–24 in. long, has a 17–24 in. wingspan and weighs 7.8–19.0 oz. It stands around 9 3⁄4–11 3⁄4 in. tall and is the largest cuckoo of the Americas.
The upper body is mostly brown with black streaks and sometimes pink spots. The neck and upper breast are white or pale brown with dark brown streaks, and the belly is white.
A crest of brown feathers sticks up on the head, and a bare patch of orange and blue skin lies behind each eye; the blue is replaced by white in adult males, and the orange is often hidden by feathers.
Chaparral Cock males and females have identical plumage. Females are slightly smaller, on average and lighter than males. The long stout beak is grayish brown to gray and has a hooked tip.
Roadrunners have four toes on each zygodactyl foot; two face forward, and two face backward. The toes are brown in color and have pale gold spots.
Although capable of limited flight, it spends most of its time on the ground, and can run at speeds up to 20 mph.
They feed on many large insects, plus other arthropods including scorpions, tarantulas, and centipedes. They catch lizards, snakes, mice, young ground squirrels, small birds and sometimes snails. They also enjoy eating Catus fruit and the seeds.
During the courtship display, the male bows, alternately lifting and dropping his wings and spreading his tail. He parades in front of the female with his head high and his tail and wings drooped, and may bring an offering of food.
The finished nest can reach over 17 inches in diameter and 8 inches high, lined with leaves, grasses, feathers, smaller sticks, snakeskin, and flakes of cattle and horse manure. The parents may continue to work on the nest during incubation and build up the sides of the nest as the chicks grow.
Greater roadrunners lay three to six eggs, which hatch in 20 days. The chicks fledge in another 18 days. Pairs may occasionally rear a second brood when there is an abundance of food in rainy summers.
Their average lifespan is approximately 7 years.