Roadrunners in the Conejo Valley

It was an extremely rainy day today but the clouds broke up in the afternoon for a stroll up Tarantula Hill in Thousand Oaks. On my way up the short, paved hill, a beautiful roadrunner made an appearance. I've seen roadrunners a handful of times over the years, mostly in Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa.

The roadrunner is a chaparral bird that is a member of the cuckoo (Cuculidae) family of birds. They are found in the southwest U.S. and Mexico. These non-migratory birds live in mountainous shrubland, which is why you may seen them from time to time here in the Conejo Valley. These are great birds to have around, dining on insects (including tarantulas), snails, lizards and even rattlesnakes (because of their quickness, roadrunners are one of the few animals that dine on rattlesnakes).

Seen above is some brief footage of a roadrunner seen yesterday on Tarantula Hill and some other footage from Rancho Sierra Vista from last year.