Greater Roadrunner / Geococcyx californianus
WBN 
Greater Roadrunner
SCI Name:
Protonym: Saurothera californiana OeuvresCompl.Buffon 6 p.420
Taxonomy: Cuculiformes / Cuculidae / Geococcyx
Taxonomy Code: greroa
Type Locality: California.
Author: Lesson
Publish Year: 1829
IUCN Status: Least Concern
DEFINITIONS
GEOCOCCYX
(Cuculidae; Ϯ Greater Roadrunner G. californiana) Gr. γεω- geō- ground- < γη gē earth; κοκκυξ kokkux, κοκκυγος kokkugos cuckoo; "Genus Geococcyx, Erdkukuk. (Genus novum.) 31. Geococcyx variegata. (spec. nov.) ... Cuculus viaticus Lichtenst. in Mus. Berol. ... Dieser Kukukartige, in jeder Beziehung merkwürdige Vogel lebt fast immer auf der Erde und lauft ungemein hurtig. Ich glaube daß ihn Hernandez unter dem Namen "Hoitlallotl cap. 52. beschreibt. Von diesem Hoitlallotl sagt er: Humipeta avis est, ac volatus modici, sed adeo pernice cursu, ut equorum velocissimorum agilitatem longe excedat."" (Wagler 1831); "Geococcyx Wagler, Isis von Oken, 1831, col. 524. Type, by monotypy, Geococcyx variegata Wagler = Saurothera californiana Lesson." (Peters, 1940, IV, p. 60).
Synon. Leptostoma.
californiana / californianus / californica
California < myth. Queen Calafia, who ruled an island paradise rich in gold and peopled by Amazons, created (c. 1500) by Spanish novelist Rodriguez de Montalvo.
● Alta California, Mexico (Aphelocoma, Geococcyx).
● California, USA (syn. Buteo regalis).
● Alta California, New Spain (Callipepla, Gymnogyps).
UPPERCASE: current genus
Uppercase first letter: generic synonym
● and ● See: generic homonyms
lowercase: species and subspecies
●: early names, variants, mispellings
‡: extinct
†: type species
Gr.: ancient Greek
L.: Latin
<: derived from
syn: synonym of
/: separates historical and modern geographic names
ex: based on
TL: type locality
OD: original diagnosis (genus) or original description (species)
