Modeling heterogeneity in survival rates of banded waterfowl

A model is presented that incorporates time-specific recovery rates and heterogeneous survival rates. This model constitutes an extension of the family of models presented by Brownie et al. (1985, Statistical Inference from Band-Recovery Data - A Handbook, 2nd edition, Washington, D.C.. Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior). Numerical studies of the model under known amounts of heterogeneity investigate issues of identifiability, bias, and precision. Additional work under time-specific variation in survival rates investigates the properties of the estimation procedure. We provide an example and the theoretical foundation for extensions to other models in the Brownie et al. (1985) framework.