Posy 2 The Roadrunner
by Phyllis Kaltenbach
Title
Posy 2 The Roadrunner
Artist
Phyllis Kaltenbach
Medium
Painting - Acrylic On Canvas
Description
Pretty roadrunner in dramatic sunset. Painting by Phyllis Kaltenbach I painted it from one of my own photographs which are very difficult to get of the fiesta little devils! The FAA watermark will not be seen on you finished products.*
Info.:From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: Greater Roadrunner
The Greater Roadrunner, taxonomically classified as Geococcyx californianus, meaning "Californian Earth-cuckoo," is a long-legged bird in the cuckoo family, Cuculidae. Along with the Lesser Roadrunner, it is one of two species in the roadrunner genus Geococcyx. This roadrunner is also known as the chaparral cock, ground cuckoo, and snake killer.[3]
Roadrunner on ground
The roadrunner is about 52/62 cm (20/24 in) long, has a 43/61 cm (17/24 in) wingspan and weighs 221/538 g (7.8/19.0 oz). It stands around 25/30 cm (9.8/12 in) tall and is the largest North American cuckoo. The adult has a bushy crest and long, thick, dark bill. It has a long, dark tail, a dark head and back, and is blue on the front of the neck and on the belly. Roadrunners have 4 toes on each zygodactyl foot; two face forward, and two face backward.
The name "roadrunner" comes from the bird's habit of racing down roads in front of moving vehicles and then darting to safety in the brush.
Habitat [edit]
The breeding habitat is desert and shrubby country in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It can be seen regularly in the US states of California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Oklahoma, and less frequently in Kansas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Missouri,[3] as well as the Mexican states of Baja California, Baja California Sur, Sonora, Sinaloa, Chihuahua, Durango, Jalisco, Coahuila, Zacatecas, Aguascalientes, Guanajuato, Michoacan, Quertaro, Mexico, Puebla, Nuevo Le�n, Tamaulipas, and San Luis Potosi
Greater Roadrunner on the run
The Greater Roadrunner nests on a platform of sticks low in a cactus or a bush and lays 3 to 6 eggs, which hatch in 20 days. The chicks fledge in another 18 days. Pairs may occasionally rear a second brood. The FAA watermark does not appear on your finished product.
Greater Roadrunners measure 61 cm (2 feet) in length, about half of which is tail. They have long, wobbly legs and a slender, pointed bill. The upper body is mostly brown with black streaks and sometimes pink spots. The neck and upper breast are white or pale brown with dark brown streaks, and the belly is white. A crest of brown feathers sticks up on the head, and a bare patch of orange and blue skin lies behind each eye;[8] the blue is replaced by white in adult males (except the blue adjacent to the eye), and the orange (to the rear) is often hidden by feathers.[3]
This bird walks around rapidly, running down prey. It mainly feeds on insects, fruit and seeds with the addition of small reptiles, small rodents, spiders, scorpions, centipedes, millipedes, small birds, their eggs, and carrion, including roadkills. It spends most of its time on the ground, and can run at speeds of up to 20 miles per hour (32 km/h).[8] Cases where roadrunners have run as fast as 26 miles per hour (42 km/h) have been reported.[9] This is the fastest running speed ever clocked for a flying bird, although it is not as fast as the flightless Ostrich.[10]
Uploaded
July 14th, 2011
Statistics
Viewed 1,172 Times - Last Visitor from New York, NY on 03/15/2024 at 7:30 AM
Embed
Share
Sales Sheet
Tags
Comments (41)
Stephen Thomas
Excellent painting of this magnificent bird!
Phyllis Kaltenbach replied:
Thank you, Stephen, so very much. I love watching them and the interaction with the cat.
Shoal Hollingsworth
WOW, this is magnificent work, I love the colors here and the perfectly posed roadrunner
Phyllis Kaltenbach replied:
Thank you, shoal, so very much! The kitty and I truely enjoyed the Roadrunners when we lived in the /desert!
Sunil Kapadia
Amazing color rendering and detailing. LF
Phyllis Kaltenbach replied:
Thank you, so very much, Sunil. I loved watching, and playing with, the roadrunners when we lived in the desert, Sunil.
Donna Kennedy
Love this colorful painting of the roadrunner Phyllis, they are quick and elusive birds!!...L/T 💜
Phyllis Kaltenbach replied:
Thank you, very much, Donna! When we were in Palm Desert, in a Sun City, several years ago, they used to come into our yards and it was such fun to watch them. One would sit on the fence right above our cat. She would lay on the cement below him and they would tempt each other to make a move. they are such characters! The golf couse was right behind us so he may have come from there.
Mohammad Hayssam Kattaa
Beautiful artwork, Phyllis! L/F
Phyllis Kaltenbach replied:
Thank you Mohammad, very much!~ I loved watching the roadrunners play when we lived in the desert!
Elizabeth Winter
I hear they are hard to capture, but I love this painting Phyllis! Nicely done! f/v
Phyllis Kaltenbach
Thank you, very much, Sergey. We got to know these little devils very well when we lived in the desert in Southern California. The are fun to watch.
Solomon Barroa
You are such an amazing painter, Phyllis. Not only did you use various colors seamlessly but your composition is emotive and engaging. Liked.
Asbed Iskedjian
Beautiful artwork and perspective Phyllis. Likes + Favorites.
Phyllis Kaltenbach replied:
Thank you, Asbed, very much! I loved creating the background and the bird!
Morris Finkelstein
Great painting of a Roadrunner at sunset, with wonderful colors, details, light and shadows, perspective and composition, Phyllis! They are beautiful but really hard to photograph! F/L
Phyllis Kaltenbach replied:
Thank you, so very much, Morris! They are always into mischief and yes, difficult to photograph!
Randy Rosenberger
This special recognition of being one of our highly FEATURED ARTISTS is very well deserving and I am so happy for you to receive the high accolades in our WFS group. It is a true honor to bestow upon you this recognition, due to the professional quality, creativity, and pure beauty of this fine piece of artwork. As administrator of the Wisconsin Flowers and Scenery group, I am very proud of you for this accomplishment. LIKED and FAVED Forever, Elvis
Lee Piper
Beautiful work!!! f/l
Phyllis Kaltenbach replied:
Thank you, very much Lee! Those Road Runners are such fun little rascals!