Colleen Handel, Ph.D.
Population ecology of passerines and shorebirds, behavioral ecology, population monitoring, and sampling design.
Professional Experience
1996 - Present Research Wildlife Biologist, USGS, Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, Alaska
1993 - 1996 Research Wildlife Biologist, NBS, Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, Alaska
1978 - 1993 Research Wildlife Biologist, USFWS, Alaska Fish and Wildlife Research Center, Anchorage, Alaska
1977 - 1978 Research/ Teaching Assistant, University of California Davis, Davis, California
1975 - 1978 Biological Science Technician, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Anchorage, Alaska
1975 - 1975 Biological Science Aide, Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Kenai, Alaska
1974 - 1974 Botany and Ornithology Instructor, Murray Rhode School, Newton Public High Schools, Newton, Massachusetts
1972 - 1972 Assistant Curator, Farlow Herbarium, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
1972 - 1972 Research Assistant, Concord Field Station, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. 2002 University of California Davis, Davis, CA Ecology
M.S. 1982 University of California Davis, Davis, CA Ecology
B.A. 1974 Harvard University, Cambridge, MA Biological Sciences
Affiliations and Memberships*
American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Ornithological Society (Fellow, Deputy Editor)
Association of Field Ornithologists
Colonial Waterbird Group
Ecological Society of America
Pacific Seabird Group
Society for Conservation Biology
Wader Study Group
Wildlife Society
Wilson Ornithological Society
Science and Products
Mate fidelity and breeding site tenacity in a monogamous sandpiper, the black turnstone
Boreal partners in flight: Working together to build a regional research and monitoring program
Nesting ecology of Townsend's warblers in relation to habitat characteristics in a mature boreal forest
The relative importance of nesting and foraging sites in selection of breeding territories by Townsend's Warblers
Migration, fidelity, and use of autumn staging grounds in Alaska by Cackling Canada Geese Branta canadensis minima
Brood amalgamation in the Bristle-thighed Curlew Numenius tahitiensis: process and function
Western North American shorebirds
Conservation of North Pacific shorebirds
Roosting behavior of premigratory Dunlins (Calidris alpina)
Breeding distribution of the Black Turnstone
Observations on habitat use, breeding chronology and parental care in Bristle-thighed Curlews on the Seward Peninsula, Alaska
The importance of subarctic intertidal habitats to shorebirds: A study of the central Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska
Science and Products
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Mate fidelity and breeding site tenacity in a monogamous sandpiper, the black turnstone
We examined the relationship between mate fidelity and breeding site tenacity during a 5-year study of the black turnstone, Arenaria melanocephala, a socially monogamous sandpiper breeding in subarctic Alaska. We tested the predictions of several hypotheses regarding the incidence of divorce and the benefits of fidelity to mate and breeding site. Interannual return rates to the breeding grounds (8AuthorsColleen M. Handel, Robert E. GillBoreal partners in flight: Working together to build a regional research and monitoring program
Boreal regions of western North America regularly support breeding populations of 130 species of landbirds, including 68 Nearctic-Neotropical migrants. Primary conservation concerns within the region include increased timber harvesting, insect outbreaks, fire suppression, mining, impacts of military training activities, urbanization, and recreational activities. Under auspices of Partners in FlighAuthorsColleen M. HandelNesting ecology of Townsend's warblers in relation to habitat characteristics in a mature boreal forest
We investigated the nesting ecology of Townsend's Warblers (Dendroica townsendi) from 1993-1995 in an unfragmented boreal forest along the lower slopes of the Chugach Mountains in southcentral Alaska. We examined habitat characteristics of nest sites in relation to factors influencing reproductive success. Almost all territory-holding males (98%, n = 40) were successful in acquiring mates. Nest suAuthorsSteven M. Matsuoka, Colleen M. Handel, Daniel D. RobyThe relative importance of nesting and foraging sites in selection of breeding territories by Townsend's Warblers
We investigated habitat selection by the Townsend's Warbler (Dendroica townsendi), a Netropical-Nearctic migrant that breeds primarily in mature coniferous forests. From 1993 to 1994, we compared the features of habitat selected for nest sites and foraging sites with those selected for territories in mature, mixed coniferous-deciduous forests in south-central Alaska. We also tested the predictionAuthorsSteven M. Matsuoka, Colleen M. Handel, Daniel D. Roby, D.L. ThomasMigration, fidelity, and use of autumn staging grounds in Alaska by Cackling Canada Geese Branta canadensis minima
Cackling Canada Geese were studied annually (1985-88) on autumn migration staging areas in Alaska during a period of rapid population growth. Geese concentrated at two estuaries (Ugashik Bay and Cinder Lagoon) along the north side of the Alaska Peninsula. Birds arrived on the staging areas in late September, numbers peaked during mid-October, and departure occurred by late October or early NovembeAuthorsRobert E. Gill, Christopher Babcock, Colleen M. Handel, William R. Butler, Dennis G. RavelingBrood amalgamation in the Bristle-thighed Curlew Numenius tahitiensis: process and function
Alloparental care in birds generally involves nonbreeding adults that help at nests or breeding adults that help raise young in communal nests. A less often reported form involves the amalgamation of broods, where one or more adults care for young that are not their own. We observed this phenomenon among Bristle-thighed Curlew Numenius tahitiensis broods in western Alaska during 1990–1992. AmalgamAuthorsRichard B. Lanctot, Robert E. Gill, T. Lee Tibbitts, Colleen M. HandelWestern North American shorebirds
Shorebirds are a diverse group that includes oystercatchers, stilts, avocets, plovers, and sandpipers. They are familiar birds of seashores, mudflats, tundra, and other wetlands, but they also occur in deserts, high mountains, forests, and agricultural fields. Widespread loss and alteration of these habitats, especially wetlands and grasslands during the past 150 years, coupled with unregulated shAuthorsRobert E. Gill, Colleen M. Handel, Gary W. PageConservation of North Pacific shorebirds
In his introduction to the 1979 Symposium proceedings entitled “Shorebirds in Marine Environments," Frank Pitelka stressed the need for studies and conservation programs that spanned the western hemisphere (Pitelka 1979). In the 15 years since Pitelka's call to arms, the locations of many important migratory and wintering sites for shorebirds have been identified in the Americas (Senner and Howe 1AuthorsRobert E. Gill, Robert W. Butler, Pavel S. Tomkovich, Taej Mundkur, Colleen M. HandelRoosting behavior of premigratory Dunlins (Calidris alpina)
We studied roosting behavior of Dunlins (Calidris alpina) during late summer along the coast of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska, in relation to tidal cycle, time of day, time of season, and occurrence of predators. Within Angyoyaravak Bay, peak populations of 70,000-100,000 Dunlins occur each year. The major diurnal roost sites were adjacent to intertidal feeding areas, provided an unobstructedAuthorsColleen M. Handel, Robert E. GillBreeding distribution of the Black Turnstone
Eighty-five percent of the world population of Black Turnstones (Arenaria melanocephala) nest on the central Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska, 65% concentrated in a narrow band of salt grass, graminoid, and dwarf shrub meadows within two km of the coast. An estimated 61,000 to 99,000 birds (95% CI), with a point estimate of 80,000 birds, breed on the central delta. About 15,000 others nest elsewhereAuthorsColleen M. Handel, Robert E. GillObservations on habitat use, breeding chronology and parental care in Bristle-thighed Curlews on the Seward Peninsula, Alaska
Results from an intensive survey in 1989 of one of the two known breeding localities of Bristle-thighed Curlews Numenius tahitiensis are reported. During the pre-nesting period birds confined most of their activity to two vegetation communities: shrub meadow tundra and low shrub/tussock tundra. During nesting more than half the Curlews seen were observed on shrub meadow tundra, whilst during broodAuthorsRobert E. Gill, Richard B. Lanctot, J.D. Mason, Colleen M. HandelThe importance of subarctic intertidal habitats to shorebirds: A study of the central Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska
A 6-year study of shorebird use of intertidal habitats of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta revealed this area to be one of the premiere sites for shorebirds throughout the Holarctic and worthy of designation as a Hemispheric Shorebird Reserve in the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network. The study area, which covered 10% (300 km2) of the delta's intertidal flats, regularly hosted 17 species of shoAuthorsRobert E. Gill, Colleen M. Handel - News
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government