Roadrunners can fly, but not very well or far. They are ground-dwelling cuckoos with small wings and a relatively shallow breastbone keel, so their flight muscles are modest. They typically use short, low-altitude flights—often just to get from a perch to a nearby post or to escape danger—and they rely mainly on running on the ground, where they can reach speeds around 20–32 km/h (roughly 12–20 mph) depending on the species and individual. When they do fly, it’s usually brief and not sustained, and many observers notice they prefer running or leaping between cover.