When full grown, a Roadrunner is about 22 inches long and has a long tail with graduating feathers. The tails are carried at an upward angle and are used for balance while running. Roadrunners are often about a foot high. Unlike other birds, Roadrunners usually excrete salt through their nasal glands rather than through their urinary tracts. Roadrunners have long bills, their feathers are mottled black and white and their tails have white tips. The Roadrunner is also characterized by a distinctive crest. Like all birds of the Cuckoo family, the Roadrunner has two forward facing toes and two backward facing toes. Its legs are strong and long. Its wings are short and rounded, and Roadrunners are too heavy to fly for long distances.
