Wichita ? Whether it’s because there are more of the birds or more people who recognize them, the roadrunner has been making its way into Kansas with greater frequency.

Roadrunners, made famous by the Looney Toons character that has always managed to elude the determined Wile E. Coyote, normally are found in desert locations such as New Mexico and Arizona. They’ve been spotted occasionally in southern Kansas counties since the 1920s, but lately they appear to be migrating farther north.

“It has to have food through the winter and we’ve been having milder winters, so it’s expanding its range northward,” said Ken Brunson, wildlife diversity coordinator for the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks.

Max Thompson, an ornithologist in Winfield, said there also were more bird watchers around who share their sightings instantly over the Internet or cell phones.

“The birds expand and contract their range according to weather,” Thompson said. “I had one in my back yard, the neighbor’s and at Southwestern College. The thing is, they are so conspicuous when they do show up, people see them.”

Recently, the birds have been spotted in Kingman, Grant and Pawnee counties. Some of the ones pushing north may be more tolerant of colder weather as they follow the route of armadillos, another warm-weather creature that’s taking up residence in Kansas, said Charlie Cope, wildlife biologist with the Wildlife and Parks Department.

“I won’t say we are having an invasion, but there are more people aware of nature,” Cope said.

He said roadrunners would eat just about anything, from baby squirrels to snakes and insects.