per hour (32 km per hour). It spends most of its time on the ground, running in open areas, along roads or under cover. and is capable of limited flight, perching in bushes or low trees. Roadrunners bask in the early morning, on a fence post or bush. They cock their tail and droop their wings, then turn their back towards the sun, raising the scapular feathers and exposing their black skin which absorbs heat. They may preen themselves as well. The bird's call is a series of soft "cooing", about one note per second, made three to seven times on a descending scale. Diet The lesser roadrunner is an opportunistic feeder, which eats seeds, fruit, small reptiles and frogs. It forages around roadsides for large insects and roadkill. Grasshoppers make up a significant portion part of its diet, as do caterpillars. Nesting Breeding is reported from Mexico between April and July, and in El Salvador in August. The lesser roadrunner builds its nest in a low tree, a thorn bush or an Opuntia cactus, about 2 meters off the ground. Its eggs, which are white and 35 x 26 mm in length, are laid in clutches of 2 to 4. Their nests are smaller than those of the greater roadrunner, but are stronger and more compact, built in the shape of a cup with sturdy grass stems and twigs, with a diameter of ca 14.5 cm. Both male and female roadrunners incubate. Lesser roadrunner clutches show less variation in size than those of the greater roadrunner, and from observation, all eggs appear to hatch around the same time. References External links Photo-(bird running-HIGH RES); Article "Birds of Honduras" Lesser Roadrunner photo gallery VIREO lesser roadrunner Birds of Mexico Birds of the Yucatán Peninsula Birds of the Sierra Madre Occidental Birds of Central America Birds of Guatemala Birds of El Salvador Birds of Honduras Birds of Nicaragua lesser roadrunner