The bird that inspired Chuck Jones (Road Runner)
A long-legged bird from the cuckoo family, they inhabit the deserts of the south-western United States and northern Mexico. They measure around 56 cm in length and have a wingspan of 49 cm. Despite being a bird, it flies little. It has a white band in the post-ocular region, a small crest on the top of its head and a long tail. Both sexes are similar, with the male being slightly larger. This bird is very fast, reaching speeds of up to 30 kilometres per hour. This incredible speed caught the attention of Chuck Jones, director and creator of the classic animation, which is named after the bird. In the premise, a Coyote is always trying to capture the Magpie. Relying on cunning, speed or absurd luck, the Coyote always escapes unscathed from all his archenemy's highly creative tricks, because the latter always ends up caught in his own trap, ‘dying’ in every episode.
This bird moves quickly, running over its prey. It feeds mainly on small animals, including insects, spiders, tarantulas, centipedes, scorpions, mice, small birds such as hummingbirds, lizards and small snakes. Venomous snakes, such as rattlesnakes, are easily consumed. Although rattlesnakes are highly poisonous, their venom is 65 per cent crotoxin. This doesn't scare the long-legged; the bird kills the rattlesnakes by banging its head on the ground, that is, if the Papas Léguas doesn't kill the snake by giving it several bites, relentlessly on the rattlesnake's head. The puffin is a monogamous bird, forming long-term pair bonds.
Maroon warbler pairs defend a territory of around 700 to 800 metres. The male is more territorial, calling to warn off competitors, and doesn't hesitate to physically push intruders out of his territory. Some couples defend the same territory all year round. Nest building begins in March, when both birds build the nest, with the male collecting the material and the female building the nest. The nests are made of thorny branches covered in grasses, feathers, snakeskin, roots and other fine materials. Papa léguas lay three to six eggs, which hatch in 20 days. The chicks fly away in a further 18 days. Pairs can occasionally raise a second brood when there is an abundance of food in rainy summers. In the same way as some other cuckoos, warblers occasionally lay their eggs in the nests of other birds, such as crows and chupim.
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