BigDaddyData.Com: New Mexico Roadrunner

    The Chaparral Bird is a species of ground cuckoo, a combination of chicken and magpie. It is approximately two feet long and has a tail that accounts for half its length. The roadrunner has a long bill and crested head and its pheasant-like brown plumage attains a rich, greenish sheen in the sunlight. The camouflage is ideal among the mesquite or cactus it uses for nesting.

    Travelers along the Santa Fe Trail noticed the Chaparral Bird as it raced along in the wagon ruts made by prairie schooners. The pioneers nicknamed the bird "the roadrunner". In Spanish it is also known as "el correcaminos". The roadrunner can often be seen along New Mexico highways.

    The State Legislature adopted the Chaparral Bird as the official State Bird on March 16, 1949.