Virtually none of the banded birds remain alive when the data are analyzed. Modern Methods of Band-Recovery Analysis A. Advantages Assumptions of any specific model are explicit and often appear quite general and realistic. Estimates of sampling variances and covariances can be computed as a measure of precision. Can statistically test null hypotheses about the average survival in two geographic areas. Do not have to wait until all animals have died to analyze data.
Analysis is based on a stochastic model structure.
Requires huge banding effort, especially for species with a low recovery rate. Survival rates cannot be determined for the last banding year. Program MARK Program MARK allows you an almost unlimited number of models that you can develop to analyze your data set. This program also can handle a wide variety of data types and performs a numerous array of estimation procedures. The unlimited number of models that MARK allows you to run for a given data type is an artifact of the design matrix and parameter index matrices.