Flaco

February 07, 2024

David Barrett

A side feed on my NY Times browser reported on the one-year antics of a runaway owl from the Central Park Zoo.  Although the owl has a primary perch in Central Park, the bird has been seen all around New York City making it an international celebrity with a legion of admirers and fans.  The apex predator slipped through an opening cut by vandals in the steel mesh enclosure at the Central Park Zoo on February 2, 2023, and flew into the wilds of America’s largest city, testing the limits of his six-foot wingspan for the first time.  The Eurasian eagle-owl has been given the name Flaco.

When I went online, I found The Eurasian eagle-owl (Bubo bubo), also called the Uhu, is a species of bird that resides in much of Eurasia.  It is one of the largest species of owl, and females can grow to 30 inches (75 cm) in length, with a wingspan of 6 feet 2 inches (188 cm).  There is little sexual dimorphism, but males are smaller.  The eagle-owl has distinctive ear tufts, with upper parts that are mottled with darker blackish coloring and tawny.  The wings and tail are barred while the underparts are a variably hued buff, streaked with darker coloring.  The facial disc is not very defined, but the orange eyes are distinctive.  Eagle-owls are found in many habitats but are mostly in mountainous regions or rocky areas near varied woodland edge and shrubby areas with openings or wetlands to hunt most of their prey.  They are occasionally found in farmland and park settings in European cities, and rarely in busier urban areas (like NYC).  The eagle-owl is a nocturnal predator which hunts a range of prey but predominantly small mammals such as rodents and rabbits.  They also prey on larger mammals and birds of varying sizes.  Secondary prey can include reptiles, amphibians, fish, large insects, and assorted invertebrates.  The species typically breeds on cliff ledges, in gullies, among rocks, or in other concealed locations.  The nest is a scrape containing a clutch of 2 to 4 eggs which are laid at intervals and hatch at different times.  The female incubates the eggs and broods the young while the male provides food for her and later for the nestlings.  Parental care is provided by both adults for about five months.  At least 12 subspecies of the Eurasian eagle-owl are described.

Flaco is not the only bird to inhabit NYC and the city is home to a large birding community and a diverse range of birds.  Despite being the most populated (8,804,190 people) and most densely populated (29,303.2 people per square mile) city in the US (according to the 2020 census), NYC is home to a range of ecological habitats and is situated along the Atlantic Flyway, a major route for migrating birds.  Birders have recorded more than 400 species in the city, and their concentration in the city’s urban parks, forests, marshes, and beaches has made birding a popular activity, especially since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020.  New York City has 30,000 acres of parkland and 578 miles of coastline.  Neither is Flaco the only eagle-owl to gain fame.  In June 2007, an eagle-owl nicknamed ‘Bubi’ landed in the Helsinki Olympic Stadium during the European Championship qualifying match between Finland and Belgium, interrupting the game for six minutes.  After Jonathan Johansson’s opening goal for Finland, the bird left.  Finland’s national football team have had the nickname Huuhkajat (Finnish for “Eurasian eagle-owls”) ever since.  The owl was named “Helsinki Citizen of the Year” in December 2007.

THOUGHTS:  Science writer Jennifer Ackerman released her 2023 New York Times bestseller, “What an Owl Knows: The New Science of the World’s Most Enigmatic Birds”, just as Flaco escaped.  The vandals have yet to be caught.  With the preponderance of conspiracy theories in the US, it will not be long until someone claims a connection between the events.  Being absurd does not make a theory wrong, but you do need to question the motives of the theorist.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.