Bill Kendall, PhD
Assistant Unit Leader - Colorado Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit
Research Interests
My interests are in the development, application, and evaluation of methods in quantitative ecology. Current research focuses on several areas of capture-recapture statistical methodology, the conceptual development of adaptive resource management and its application to decision problems, and population dynamics of sandhill cranes, albatross, sea turtles, and manatees.
Teaching Interests
I teach courses in population analysis and demographic estimation, and wildlife management science.
Professional Experience
Assistant Unit Leader, Colorado Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, 2010-
Education and Certifications
Ph D North Carolina State University 1992
MS North Carolina State University 1990
MS North Carolina State University 1985
BBA University of Cincinnati 1982
Science and Products
Capture-recapture analysis for estimating manatee reproductive rates
Coping with unobservable and mis-classified states in capture-recapture studies
Evaluating mallard adaptive management models with time series
On the estimation of dispersal and movement of birds
A general model for the analysis of mark-resight, mark-recapture, and band-recovery data under tag loss
Estimating survival and movement
On the use of capture-recapture models in mist-net studies
Modeling survival and movement of resident giant Canada goose populations in the Atlantic flyway
Costs of detection bias in index-based population monitoring
Estimation of sex-specific survival from capture-recapture data when sex is not always known
Detecting warning signs of trouble within population fluctuations: using capture-recapture modeling to uncover changes in population dynamics leading to declines
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 89
Capture-recapture analysis for estimating manatee reproductive rates
Modeling the life history of the endangered Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) is an important step toward understanding its population dynamics and predicting its response to management actions. We developed a multi-state markresighting model for data collected under Pollock's robust design. This model estimates breeding probability conditional on a female's breeding state in the prAuthorsW. L. Kendall, C.A. Langtimm, C.A. Beck, M.C. RungeCoping with unobservable and mis-classified states in capture-recapture studies
Multistate mark-recapture methods provide an excellent conceptual framework for considering estimation in studies of marked animals. Traditional methods include the assumptions that (1) each state an animal occupies is observable, and (2) state is assigned correctly at each point in time. Failure of either of these assumptions can lead to biased estimates of demographic parameters. I review desAuthorsW. L. KendallEvaluating mallard adaptive management models with time series
Wildlife practitioners concerned with midcontinent mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) management in the United States have instituted a system of adaptive harvest management (AHM) as an objective format for setting harvest regulations. Under the AHM paradigm, predictions from a set of models that reflect key uncertainties about processes underlying population dynamics are used in coordination with optimAuthorsP.B. Conn, W. L. KendallOn the estimation of dispersal and movement of birds
The estimation of dispersal and movement is important to evolutionary and population ecologists, as well as to wildlife managers. We review statistical methodology available to estimate movement probabilities. We begin with cases where individual birds can be marked and their movements estimated with the use of multisite capture-recapture methods. Movements can be monitored either directly, usiAuthorsW. L. Kendall, J. D. NicholsA general model for the analysis of mark-resight, mark-recapture, and band-recovery data under tag loss
Estimates of waterfowl demographic parameters often come from resighting studies where birds fit with individually identifiable neck collars are resighted at a distance. Concerns have been raised about the effects of collar loss on parameter estimates, and the reliability of extrapolating from collared individuals to the population. Models previously proposed to account for collar loss do not alloAuthorsPaul B. Conn, William L. Kendall, Michael D. SamuelEstimating survival and movement
No abstract available.AuthorsJ. D. Nichols, W. L. Kendall, M.C. RungeOn the use of capture-recapture models in mist-net studies
Capture-recapture models provide a statistical framework for estimating population parameters from mist-net data. Although Cormack-Jolly-Seber and related models have recently been used to estimate survival rates of birds sampled with mist nets, we believe that the full potential for use of capture-recapture models has not been realized by many researchers involved in mist-net studies. We presentAuthorsW. L. Kendall, J.R. Sauer, J. D. Nichols, R. Pradel, J. E. HinesModeling survival and movement of resident giant Canada goose populations in the Atlantic flyway
Distribution of resident giant Canada geese (Branta canadensis maxima) has changed markedly in the Atlantic Flyway in recent decades. This change may be related to habitat variation or to changes in hunting regulations. We attempt to assess impacts of hunting regulations on survival, movement, and harvest rate of Canada goose populations from Maine to South Carolina. During 15 June-31 July 1991AuthorsM.W. Miller, W. L. Kendall, J.B. HestbeckCosts of detection bias in index-based population monitoring
Managers of wildlife populations commonly rely on indirect, count-based measures of the population in making decisions regarding conservation, harvest, or control. The main appeal in the use of such counts is their low material expense compared to methods that directly measure the population. However, their correct use rests on the rarely-tested but often-assumed premise that they proportionatelyAuthorsC. T. Moore, W. L. KendallEstimation of sex-specific survival from capture-recapture data when sex is not always known
Many animals lack obvious sexual dimorphism, making assignment of sex difficult even for observed or captured animals. For many such species it is possible to assign sex with certainty only at some occasions; for example, when they exhibit certain types of behavior. A common approach to handling this situation in capture-recapture studies has been to group capture histories into those of animals eAuthorsJ. D. Nichols, W. L. Kendall, J. E. Hines, J. A. SpendelowDetecting warning signs of trouble within population fluctuations: using capture-recapture modeling to uncover changes in population dynamics leading to declines
An intensive mark-recapture/resighting program has been carried out on the Roseate Terns nesting at Falkner Island, Connecticut, since the late 1980s as part of a regional study of the metapopulation dynamics and ecology of the endangered Northwest Atlantic breeding population of this species. Substantial losses of tern eggs and chicks to predation at this colony site began in 1996 when at leastAuthorsJ. A. Spendelow, J. D. Nichols, W. L. Kendall, J. E. Hines, J. S. Hatfield, I.C.T. NisbetNon-USGS Publications**
Ruiz-Gutierrez, V., W. L. Kendall, J. F. Saracco, and G. C. White. Modeling dynamics for resident and transient individuals: a case study using uncertain state models for migratory birds. Journal of Applied Ecology, DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.12655Garcia-Cruz, M. A., M. Lampo, C. L. Penaloza, W. L. Kendall, G. Sole, and K. M. Rodriguez-Clark. 2015.Population trends and survival of nesting green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) on Aves Island, Venezuela. Endangered Species Research 29:101-116.Lyons, J. E., W. L. Kendall, J. A. Royle, S. J. Converse, B. A. Andres, and J. B. Buchanan. 2015. Population size and stopover duration estimation using mark-resight data and Bayesian analysis of a superpopulation model. Biometrics DOI: 10.1111/biom.12393.Pearson, K. N., W. L. Kendall, D. L. Winkelman, and W. R. Persons. 2015. Evidence for skipped spawning in the endangered humpback chub (Gila cypha) with implications for demographic parameter estimates. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 170:50-59Chambert, T., Kendall, W. L., Hines, J. E., Nichols, J. D., Pedrini, P., Waddle, J. H., Tavecchia, G., Walls, S. C. and Tenan, S. (2015), Testing hypotheses on distribution shifts and changes in phenology of imperfectly detectable species. Methods Ecol Evol, 6: 638–647. doi:10.1111/2041-210X.12362**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.