MONTE VISTA — A rare bird is being seen running across streets and parking lots in Monte Vista. A Greater Roadrunner has been seen since April 24, 2020, in the Monte Vista area running across roads, streets and even the Shell station parking lot.

The Greater Roadrunner is very rare in the San Luis valley. This occurrence is only the seventh time it has been documented in the San Luis Valley since 1925. It is usually a bird of warmer deserts and is omnivorous, where they eat insects, small lizards and snakes. He went on to say that in his nearly 40 years of birding in the San Luis Valley, he has yet to see one. This is the same species of bird depicted in the famous cartoon character “Roadrunner” along with his antagonist friend “Coyote.”
Because our colder climate and lack of lizards in the valley bottom, the birds often prey upon other things like small birds, rodents and seeds in lieu of lizards. One bird, reported in December 2000 in Alamosa, would dart out from the brush and capture house sparrows.

The bird has been a hit on social media with a posting on Facebook that had 119 likes. We should enjoy this bird while it is visiting us. We may not see another for many years. And please give it a brake when it crosses the road.