Flaco, the Eurasian eagle owl whose escape from Central Park Zoo and subsequent exploits in Manhattan made him one of New York’s most beloved birds, has died after apparently hitting a building on the Upper West Side.
“The vandal who damaged Flaco’s exhibit jeopardized the safety of the bird and is ultimately responsible for his death. We are still hopeful that the NYPD, which is investigating the vandalism, will ultimately make an arrest,” the zoo said in its statement.
Flaco appeared to have collided with a building on West 89th Street in Manhattan, and members of the Wild Bird Fund, a wildlife rehabilitation center, were called to the scene and declared him dead shortly afterward, the statement added. The 13-year-old bird was transported to the Bronx Zoo for a necropsy (an animal autopsy).
Flaco’s year on the loose in New York began on Feb. 2, 2023, when Central Park Zoo said he was missing from his exhibit, with staff finding “the exhibit had been vandalized and the stainless steel mesh cut.”
In the weeks that followed, Flaco made headlines, ruffled feathers and captured the hearts of New Yorkers as he thwarted attempts by the zoo to recover him, and appeared in various locations in Manhattan.
He even successfully evaded the New York police, who described their rescue attempt as “a hoot” and said: “We tried to help this lil wise guy, but he had enough of his growing audience & flew off.”
His growing number of fans, and his previous minders at the zoo, were concerned about his prospects of surviving in the wild. However, he soon proved himself to be adept at New York life.
Just over a week after his escape, the zoo noted it had “observed him successfully hunting, catching and consuming prey” and “seen a rapid improvement in his flight skills and ability to confidently maneuver around” Central Park.
On Feb. 17, 2023, the park indicated it was ending operations to recover the Flaco, while still monitoring his well-being.
Flaco quickly attracted a dedicated fan base who delighted in his regular appearances in Manhattan — lounging on water towers, fire escapes and even a Central Park bench. On one occasion, he started playing with a pitcher’s rosin bag on the Central Park baseball fields, showing his curious side, photographer David Lei told the Gothamist.
Fans enjoyed capturing his movements on camera, while many more followed his whereabouts online, including on the popular X account Manhattan Bird Alert.
The account said it was “heartbroken” by the news of Flaco’s death, and reposted multiple tributes to the owl on its account.
“He was a gift for the short time he roamed free. May he live on in our memories,” one birdwatcher wrote. “Thank you for visiting us and for connecting us to something bigger. Rest easy, Flaco,” wrote another New Yorker.
Even as Flaco became a celebrity, the zoo was keen to remind people that the “situation is the result of a deliberate criminal act which jeopardizes the safety of the bird.”
Eurasian eagle owls have a life expectancy of about 20 years in the wild, but can live up to 60 years in captivity.
While the International Union for Conservation of Nature categorizes the species as “least concern,” the population is decreasing, and zoo officials note that eagle owls are “subject to relatively high levels of commercial pressure, and are coveted by hobbyists.”
Flaco faced multiple risks living free in Manhattan — including the risk of eating rats contaminated with rodenticide or colliding with vehicles or buildings, according to Audubon, a bird conservation group. Experts also worried he could compete with native birds for food, or prey on them.
And yet, to his fans, it was the way he adapted to life in New York that really inspired them.
“Something I think that’s really resonated with people about Flaco is how he was able to completely transform himself,” Lei told the Gothamist on the anniversary of Flaco’s escape.
“He had lived in captivity his whole life: born to captive owls, didn’t know how to fly, didn’t know how to hunt, didn’t know how to survive in the wild when he was first released. And yet he was able to figure all that out and create a totally new life for himself in New York City.”
