Roadrunners are among the fastest-running birds. In full sprint, greater roadrunners can reach about 26 mph (roughly 41 km/h), while lesser roadrunners typically run around 20 mph (about 32 km/h). They generally prefer running to flying, though they can fly short distances to escape threats or reach perches.

Quick context on how this translates:

• Pace comparison: 26 mph is faster than the average human jogs and competitive runners in short bursts, and it makes roadrunners formidable predators of small vertebrates in desert habitats.

• Flight: Roadrunners are capable of flight but tend to rely on their speed on the ground; they will fly when necessary to escape or move between cover and resources.

If you’d like, I can pull the latest consensus from reliable sources or compile a small summary comparing roadrunner speeds with common predators or prey to give a broader ecological context.