Coyote caught carrying roadrunner in Chatsworth

A coyote was spotted carrying a greater roadrunner in its mouth at the Chatsworth Nature Preserve over the weekend, in a scene captured on camera by an avid birder. The encounter drew extra attention because it occurred the same weekend the Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner spinoff film “Coyote vs. Acme” opened in theaters.

Alexander deBarros was conducting a bird survey with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power at the preserve when he saw the coyote with the roadrunner.

“I took just a couple of quick pictures just to confirm, ‘Is that actually a roadrunner in its mouth?'” deBarros told Nexstar’s KTLA. “And upon review, the answer was yes! We all freaked out as the coyote just ran over the hill and disappeared.”

DeBarros leads monthly bird walks with the San Fernando Valley Audubon Society and has studied birds since he was 10 years old.

Coyotes are opportunistic feeders and typically prey on whatever food is readily available, including small and medium-sized mammals. A roadrunner that is caught off guard, injured or otherwise vulnerable can become prey.

The real-life predator is capable of outrunning a greater roadrunner.

The timing struck deBarros and his father as a remarkable coincidence. His father, Brian Mainolfi, is an animator whose first Hollywood job was working with Chuck Jones, creator of the Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner characters.

“It is kismet,” Mainolfi told KTLA. “He texted me the photo as soon as he took it. I laughed, telling him this was the weekend ‘Coyote vs. Acme’ opened. He didn’t realize it was that same weekend.”

Mainolfi searched online and said he was unable to find a verified photograph showing a real coyote consuming a greater roadrunner.

Whether the image is the first photograph documenting such an encounter has not been independently verified by KTLA.

DeBarros also offers private birding tours in Los Angeles and elsewhere in Southern California and shares his birding adventures on Instagram under the handle @Hollywood_birder.

“Nature is all around us even in places we don’t expect, like L.A.,” he said. “Whenever you see something, it may be something that’s never been seen before.”