Alva Review-Courier -

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Birds are common around farmsteads, where assorted sparrows and cardinals can find food and shelter. But the 2-foot-long bird that's a regular at Mike Thompson's farm often stops visitors in their tracks.

"Most people have never seen a roadrunner around here, so it kind of surprises them," said Thompson, who lives about 25 miles south of downtown Wichita. "We looked out the window (about two years ago), and he was coming down the driveway. He's been here ever since."

While most Kansas residents' only exposure to roadrunners is the animated kind on cartoons, the birds are l...