Greater Roadrunner

Greater Roadrunner / Geococcyx californianus

Greater Roadrunner

Here the details of the Greater Roadrunner named bird below:

SCI Name:  Geococcyx californianus
Protonym:  Saurothera californiana OeuvresCompl.Buffon 6 p.420
Taxonomy:  Cuculiformes / Cuculidae /
Taxonomy Code:  greroa
Type Locality:  California.
Author:  
Publish Year:  1829
IUCN Status:  

DEFINITIONS

GEOCOCCYX
(Cuculidae; Ϯ Greater Roadrunner G. californiana) Gr. γεω- geō-  ground-  < γη gē  earth; κοκκυξ kokkux, κοκκυγος kokkugos  cuckoo; "Genus Geococcyx, Erdkukuk. (Genus novum.)  31. Geococcyx variegata. (spec. nov.)  ...  Cuculus viaticus Lichtenst. in Mus. Berol.   ...   Dieser Kukukartige, in jeder Beziehung merkwürdige Vogel lebt fast immer auf der Erde und lauft ungemein hurtig. Ich glaube daß ihn Hernandez unter dem Namen "Hoitlallotl cap. 52. beschreibt. Von diesem Hoitlallotl sagt er: Humipeta avis est, ac volatus modici, sed adeo pernice cursu, ut equorum velocissimorum agilitatem longe excedat."" (Wagler 1831); "Geococcyx Wagler, Isis von Oken, 1831, col. 524. Type, by monotypy, Geococcyx variegata Wagler = Saurothera californiana Lesson." (Peters, 1940, IV, p. 60).
Synon. Leptostoma

californiana / californianus / californica
California  < myth. Queen Calafia, who ruled an island paradise rich in gold and peopled by Amazons, created (c. 1500) by Spanish novelist Rodriguez de Montalvo.
● Alta California, Mexico (Aphelocoma, Geococcyx).
● California, USA (syn. Buteo regalis).
● Alta California, New Spain (CallipeplaGymnogyps).