The roadrunner, a member of the cuckoo family, was designated the official state bird of New Mexico in 1949. This iconic bird has deep cultural and historical significance in the American Southwest and is instantly recognizable by its distinctive appearance and behavior. But why exactly was the roadrunner chosen to represent New Mexico?

Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner are the two main characters and protagonists of a long-running (since 1949) Warner Bros. animated series. [ 43 ] The greater roadrunner is the state bird of New Mexico and, as such, appeared in a 1982 sheet of 20-cent United States stamps showing 50 state birds and flowers.

The state bird of New Mexico, a large roadrunner weighs in at about 1 ½ pounds, and is not an overly capable flyer. Short bursts of flight are possible, but they quickly return to the ground and run, leaving a distinctive track that resembles an X. This X has played a role in Native American culture.

The roadrunner has been New Mexico's state bird since 1949. Meep meep! A close up of a roadrunner. Photograph by Elroy Limmer. ON MARCH 16, 1949, the New Mexico Legislature named as our official state avian species the “Chaparral Bird,” aka Geococcyx californianus, aka the greater roadrunner.