Picture of the day - February 14, 2008

A colorful Roadrunner strikes a pose

Photo courtesy of Tom Ryan. The only opportunity that most of us ever get to see a Roadrunner comes on Saturday mornings when Wile E. Coyote tries every trick in the book to have one for dinner - and always with no success. But as today's picture by photographer Tom Ryan clearly shows, Roadrunners are indeed real and they can be found all over the desert southwest region of the United States. Although it is a bit less speedy than its cartoon counterpart, the Greater Roadrunner is quite swift on its feet, occasionally reaching speeds up to 17 miles per hour when the situation calls for it. And while Mr. Coyote tries to tempt his potential prey with a big pile of birdseed, real Roadrunners prefer to chow down on creepy-crawly things and an occasional small bird. Mr. Ryan took this striking portrait of a colorful Roadrunner not too far from his Tuscon, Arizona home, and he offered the following words about the image: "The Greater Roadrunner is a member of the cuckoo family. Unlike the other cuckoos it is mainly a ground bird that prefers to run instead of fly. Fast on the ground, this clever hunter spends most of its time in pursuit of its favorite food: lizards. This photo was taken on May 17th, 2007, late in the afternoon in Tucson, Arizona."   --Tom Ryan The camera and settings used to capture this image were as follows: Camera: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTI equipped with a 70-300mm zoom lens Focal length: 210mm Shutter speed: 1/400 second Aperture: f8 Exposure compensation: +1 ISO: 200 You can enjoy more of Tom Ryan's spectacular wildlife images by visiting his gallery.   Click here to comment on this picture.   Visit the POTD Archives for previous "Pictures Of The Day"!     Submit a photo of your own!            Why I publish the "Picture of the Day"