The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is asking all Wyoming residents to report dead sage grouse they find so the birds can be tested for West Nile virus.
Sage grouse have low resistance to the disease and it usually kills infected birds.
Tom Christiansen with Game and Fish says there is no sign yet of an outbreak in the state this year.A recent limited survey in the Powder River Basin detected only low numbers of a particular type of mosquito known to carry the disease.
Christiansen says testing dead birds helps the department monitor the disease across the state. He says birds that are obviously road kill shouldn't be reported for testing.