Birds cross the road

The bird that likes to cross the street has the scientific name Geococcyx californianus and is called the long-tail pheasant.

Although they are birds, but they have short wings, they fly badly , in return they run very fast, sometimes reaching more than 24km / h. Their tail is long, used as a rudder to help them change direction when running fast . They often appear on the road until they are in danger, they will run away with amazing speed and they also have a habit of running across the driveway. Although it can run very fast, but not always reach the other side of the road - a lot of children have been flattened on the highway because of rolling cars.

Geococcyx californianus has special talent in catching and eating snakes, including extremely poisonous snakes . For American Indians, this bird symbolizes magic, strength, perseverance and tremendous courage. They are also symbols of the state of New Mexico (USA). Birds Geococcyx californianus observed the snake at close range, waiting for the exact moment to snatch the right behind the snake's jaw. When opened, the head of the prey is tightly clamped, and it throws its prey into the rock or other hard objects to break the snake's bone. Then swallow the snake without any difficulty, but usually it doesn't swallow the whole snake. He continued wandering around, dragging the snake in his mouth, then swallowing every centimeter, while the solid body inside his stomach was gradually digested.

Geococcyx body parts on californianus

In the Americas, there are very toxic venomous snakes. Geococcyx californianus knows how to tame this poisonous snake. He suddenly snatched the tail of the rattlesnake lying on its side, whipping away the snake like the one who whipped a horse whip and repeatedly slammed the snake's head to the ground until the snake died.

Geococcyx californianus can catch snakes up to 0.6m long. Their food is terrestrial animals such as insects, lizards, snakes, scorpions, rodents, and small birds. They also eat fruits like prickly pears. Their food is 10% plant, 90% animal.

Geococcyx californianus bird body is suitable for desert life, they eat meat - a moist food. The body absorbs water from the stool itself before excreting. The nasal gland itself excretes excess salt, reducing the body's activity by 50% during the hottest days of the day.

In the desert of the southwestern United States, it is very hot during the day but the nights are very cold. In order to maintain nighttime body temperature, the Geococcyx californianus body slows down its body functions, lowers body temperature and falls into a state of lethargy. But by dawn, the body will warm up quickly and they start to move again. The body warms up so quickly thanks to a black patch of skin between the wings, which helps them absorb the heat of the weak morning sun rays. They ruffled their feathers, revealing black skin and waited until the body reached its normal temperature. However, in winter many children still suffer from freezing weather.

In addition to liking cross-street and self-regulating, the Geococcyx californianus also has interesting features in "love life". They live faithfully monogamous for life, and live only in a certain area year-round throughout the month. The male bird flirts with the female with a "gift" is an insect, reptile or something that looks delicious. If the gift does not appeal to the female, she will leave immediately.

Both parents make the nest, the nest is made in bushes, shallow and tidy, clean, made of tree branches, lined with leaves and feathers. The nest is about 70cm in diameter, almost like an oval shape.

Each litter, females lay 2-8 eggs. The parents take turns incubating eggs for 17-18 days. If the food is scarce, the younger birds will take up all the food, and the smaller young birds will starve to death. Scientists do not know exactly when young birds fly, but they know how to run and find themselves at 3 weeks of age.

Geococcyx californianus has a slender, strong, long tail. Two toes are facing forward, the other two are facing back. The crest on the head protrudes, falling down whenever the bird feels curious or surprised.

During the courtship, they have a hunch like a dove. During the nesting time, the female birds sounded sad sounds. They know how to create clicks through the upper jaw and lower jaw against each other - the most unique ability in the bird world.

The type of bird that likes to cross this road is widely distributed in Western North America, in large, dry areas, with sparse bushes. The average bird is about 60cm long, about 30cm high, and their life span is about 7-8 years.