Greater Roadrunner (Wild Safari North American Wildlife by Safari Ltd.)

Review and images by EpicRaptorMan; edited by bmathison1972

Does the Looney Tunes Roadrunner say “meep-meep” or “beep-beep“? Well, whatever it says the real roadrunner’s call is more of a “coo coo” which makes sense as they are members of cuckoo family, Cuculidae.

This figurine, by Safari Ltd. (227329), is a Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus), and as the common name suggests, they are often seen running alongside roads and other open spaces across the southwestern United States and Mexico. When running, roadrunners lower their heads and keep their long tails parallel to the ground and will use this tail to aid in quick evasive maneuvers. The Greater Roadrunner can run at a steady pace of 18 mph (30 kph), but has been recorded at a top speed of 26 mph (42 kph). This noteworthy speed assists the Greater Roadrunner in catching an assortment of prey such as lizards, snakes, mice, insects, spiders, scorpions, and even smaller birds including hummingbirds which they can pluck straight out of the air with a decisive leap. Alas, that speed doesn’t always prevent roadrunners from becoming prey themselves to cats, raccoons, hawks, and yes, coyotes too…although less frequently than the cartoons depict…and unfortunately for the roadrunner a coyote is faster. Roadrunners do have wings and are capable of flight albeit very limited, consisting primarily to evade predators and flying up into trees or other tall structures to perch.

Measuring at 2.5 inches (6.4 cm) tall and 3 inches (7.6 cm) long, the figurine looks pretty good. It is situated on a platform for stability, but the platform itself looks good too and mimics a graveled road with some larger rocks present. The tarsometatarsus, or the scaly feather-less part of a bird’s leg, seem a bit too girthy as are toes. Speaking of toes, the feet of roadrunners are also special. Known as zygodactyl feet, this is where two toes face forward (digits 2 & 3) and two toes point backwards (digits 1 & 4), which give the roadrunner a distinctive X-shaped track.

The toy’s tail feathers (rectrices) also appear a bit short. I would have liked for them to have been slightly extended. The toy is also rather light in coloration consisting of brown and white on the backside. I would’ve appreciated some darker browns or blacks for a more realistic color pattern. Lastly, I want to point out the eyes as they are very detailed and very crisp for such a small model.

In conclusion, I really enjoy this model by Safari Ltd. and I am super stoked that I managed to stumble across one for my collection. A must have for your desert dioramas.