What Is This Tail-Wagging Roadrunner Trying to Say?

From folklore to cartoons, the greater roadrunner is the most well-known bird in the Southwest. Primarily known for its speed and skill in escaping hapless coyotes, the greater roadrunner in this post from thedodo shows another side of the famous bird. The video explains that the roadrunner has been returned to the wild. However, it continues to come back to visit the woman who rescued it. This grateful bird definitely knows how to shake its tail feathers — but what does all of this tail wagging mean?

Greater Roadrunners Were Born to Run

Greater roadrunners (Geococcyx californianus) are primarily found across the southwestern U.S. and Mexico. These birds prefer desert regions with open areas for foraging and scattered brush for cover. They measure about two feet from the tip of their bill to the tip of their tail. Their average weight is between 8-12 ounces. Roadrunners have long legs that are slender yet powerful. They also have zygodactyl feet, which means two toes face forward and two face backward. This provides a stronger grip when running. These birds can fly in short bursts, but they rarely do unless threatened. They also use their wings to glide down from their perches in trees.

While roadrunners have been clocked as fast as 26mph, they typically run about 15-20mph. They generally rely on speed to avoid predators, but they cannot run faster than a coyote, whose top speed is over 40mph. However, they can easily outpace the reptiles, scorpions, spiders, insects, and small birds and mammals that make up their prey. Roadrunners walk quickly while hunting, scanning the ground for prey before sprinting forward to catch their target. They also jump straight up into the air to catch insects.

Multipurpose Tails

Roadrunners use their long tails for several different purposes. When flying or gliding, they use their tails for balancing, steering, and braking. For example, they have been observed swinging their long tails from side to side to change direction at high speeds, much like a rudder steers an aircraft. Some sources also note that when threatened by another roadrunner, a bird may approach the intruder with its tail held vertically, wagging from side to side as a warning.

Roadrunners also wave their tails to indicate that something has caught their attention. Roadrunner tails serve as visual signals in courtship displays as well. When pursuing a female, the male roadrunner will bring the female a food offering in his beak, such as a mouse or a lizard. He then bows and wags his tail from side to side. The male has also been observed running away from the female with his tail and wings raised over his back before gradually lowering his wings.

Why Is This Roadrunner Wagging Its Tail?

So, why is the roadrunner in the video wagging its tail at its rescuer? In this context, this roadrunner is displaying courtship behavior. According to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Greater Roadrunner Care Manual, it doesn’t matter that the rescuer is human. The manual states, “Birds that are imprinted on humans may choose to interact with humans directly through tactile stimulation, and will typically engage in courtship and breeding behavior when sexually mature.”

Imprinting is when young birds develop an attachment to an individual, or even an inanimate object, during their earliest stages of development. The rehabilitator mentioned that the bird had been relinquished to their facility as a small chick. If the young bird had significant human interaction in the absence of its mother or other roadrunners, it likely imprinted on its rescuer. Scientists have found that it’s not uncommon for imprinted birds to show a preference for the foster species when it comes time to take a mate. So, this roadrunner may be trying to show his caretaker affection in the way that comes most naturally to him.