Roadrunners

Roadrunner Hunting Grasshoppers

It seems mockingbirds aren't the only birds that hunt grasshoppers. I spotted three roadrunners hunting grasshoppers near the road this morning. A local resident said he has seen these birds hunt quail chicks, spear them with their beaks, and eat them whole.  No wonder the mockingbirds chase them away.
"The Cornell Lab of Ornithology" website says they kill rattlesnakes - that's a plus!  They remind a little of mockingbirds because they lift their tail feathers up at a slant when standing as shown in the picture.