While I was at my college orientation earlier today, I heard knocking on one of the windows and some people muttering about a roadrunner. I live in a place where they're common, so usually people wouldn't feel the need to point them out, but this one sure got everyone's attention.
It was jumping and pecking at the bottom of a floor to ceiling window! It looked like it really wanted to fight us!
Now, I wouldn't describe roadrunners as particularly fearful animals, but they usually try to avoid humans or at least make a nonchalant exit when humans come near. Because of this, I expected the roadrunner to probably leave when I approached the window. To my surprise, even when I came within inches of it to take a video, it kept attacking the glass! And it could definitely see me; it was looking right at me.
Sadly, I had to sit back down lest I risk looking weird in front of the other students.
When that part of the orientation was over, though, they took us to the room nextdoor. And wouldn't you believe it... the roadrunner followed! It ran over to the window to the new room we entered. It didn't attack the glass anymore, but it did stick around for quite some time and watch us.
I asked one of the women leading the orientation about it and she told me this roadrunner was actually infamous on campus for this behavior. She said it was named something like Billy or Brutus, but she couldn't remember exactly. She also told me that this has been happening for years. I'm not sure how true that is, but I don't know what's real anymore. I never even considered roadrunners would do such a thing in the first place.
So, birdforum users, what's the deal with this roadrunner?
It was jumping and pecking at the bottom of a floor to ceiling window! It looked like it really wanted to fight us!
Now, I wouldn't describe roadrunners as particularly fearful animals, but they usually try to avoid humans or at least make a nonchalant exit when humans come near. Because of this, I expected the roadrunner to probably leave when I approached the window. To my surprise, even when I came within inches of it to take a video, it kept attacking the glass! And it could definitely see me; it was looking right at me.
Sadly, I had to sit back down lest I risk looking weird in front of the other students.
When that part of the orientation was over, though, they took us to the room nextdoor. And wouldn't you believe it... the roadrunner followed! It ran over to the window to the new room we entered. It didn't attack the glass anymore, but it did stick around for quite some time and watch us.
I asked one of the women leading the orientation about it and she told me this roadrunner was actually infamous on campus for this behavior. She said it was named something like Billy or Brutus, but she couldn't remember exactly. She also told me that this has been happening for years. I'm not sure how true that is, but I don't know what's real anymore. I never even considered roadrunners would do such a thing in the first place.
So, birdforum users, what's the deal with this roadrunner?
