roadrunner

Everyday

1. A roadrunner is a fast bird of the deserts of the south-western USA and Mexico that prefers to run rather than fly. tree →
2. The Road Runner is a cartoon bird who always escapes from a hungry coyote (a name of a character). tree →

In the lessons

In nature lessons about deserts the roadrunner shows how animals adapt: it can run about 30 km per hour, eats lizards, snakes and insects, and is a kind of cuckoo. Children also know it from the old «Road Runner» cartoons, where it says «meep meep». Phrases: «greater roadrunner», «as fast as a roadrunner».

Examples

• A roadrunner dashed across the desert road in front of our car. tree →
• Roadrunners can catch and eat small rattlesnakes. tree →
• The roadrunner is the state bird of New Mexico. tree →
• It can fly, but it would rather run. tree →
• In the cartoon, the coyote never catches the Road Runner. tree →
• Roadrunners sunbathe in the morning to warm up after cold desert nights. tree →
• Our class drew a desert food chain with a roadrunner in it. tree →

Note

Plural «roadrunners». Written as one word (also «road runner»). The cartoon name is usually «Road Runner» with capitals. Myth: real roadrunners do not say «meep meep»; they make cooing and clattering sounds.