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
Biogeography of boreal passerine range dynamics in western North America: past, present, and future
Elements in whole blood of Northwestern Crows (Corvus caurinus) in Alaska: No evidence for an association with beak deformities
Avian malaria in a boreal resident species: long-term temporal variability, and increased prevalence in birds with avian keratin disorder
Novel picornavirus associated with avian keratin disorder in Alaskan birds
Isolation of a complete circular virus genome sequence from an Alaskan black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) gastrointestinal tract sample.
Evaluating species richness: biased ecological inference results from spatial heterogeneity in species detection probabilities
Projected changes in wildlife habitats in Arctic natural areas of northwest Alaska
Environmental contaminants and chromosomal damage associated with beak deformities in a resident North American passerine
Ways to be different: Foraging adaptations that facilitate higher intake rates in a northerly wintering shorebird compared with a low-latitude conspecific
Melanin-based color of plumage: role of condition and of feathers' microstructure
A hierarchical model combining distance sampling and time removal to estimate detection probability during avian point counts
Avian influenza virus antibodies in Pacific Coast Red Knots (Calidris canutus rufa)
Science and Products
Biogeography of boreal passerine range dynamics in western North America: past, present, and future
Elements in whole blood of Northwestern Crows (Corvus caurinus) in Alaska: No evidence for an association with beak deformities
Avian malaria in a boreal resident species: long-term temporal variability, and increased prevalence in birds with avian keratin disorder
Novel picornavirus associated with avian keratin disorder in Alaskan birds
Isolation of a complete circular virus genome sequence from an Alaskan black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) gastrointestinal tract sample.
Evaluating species richness: biased ecological inference results from spatial heterogeneity in species detection probabilities
Projected changes in wildlife habitats in Arctic natural areas of northwest Alaska
Environmental contaminants and chromosomal damage associated with beak deformities in a resident North American passerine
Ways to be different: Foraging adaptations that facilitate higher intake rates in a northerly wintering shorebird compared with a low-latitude conspecific
Melanin-based color of plumage: role of condition and of feathers' microstructure
A hierarchical model combining distance sampling and time removal to estimate detection probability during avian point counts
Avian influenza virus antibodies in Pacific Coast Red Knots (Calidris canutus rufa)
*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