Roadrunners eat insects, lizards, scorpions, small birds, rodents and snakes, including rattlesnakes. During the winter months when its preferred food is scarce, the roadrunner may supplement its diet with fruits, seeds and other vegetable matter.
The roadrunner is well-suited to life in the desert. Being largely carnivorous, it obtains much of the water it needs from the food it eats. It is capable of running at up to 20 mph, and its reflexes are so sharp that it can snatch a dragonfly or a hummingbird from midair. When hunting a rattlesnake, the roadrunner grabs the snake by the tail and cracks it like a whip, slamming its head against the ground until it dies.
