This bit of sad news concerning NYC’s Central Park resident, Flaco, cannot be avoided for several reasons. Chief among those is the high popularity status that Flaco enjoyed for the better part of a year. For those unaware of Flaco and his unique story, Lafeber published two articles. The first was when Flaco discovered freedom outside the enclosure at his home in Central Park Zoo. The second was a recent article celebrating his first year as a free owl in the beautiful Central Park region.

Unfortunately, not long after his one-year anniversary of freedom, news arrived that Flaco had hit a window and was severely incapacitated. He was rushed to veterinarian services, where the injury proved to be too severe. He died not long after being transported.

Flaco’s Unexpected Celebrity

The Eurasian eagle-owl was a daily view for many birding enthusiasts who walk Central Park just to appreciate the wildlife inside the rectangular steel and cement behemoth that is New York City. After Flaco’s escape and his wily avoidance of traps to recover him, Flaco became the toast of New York City as a celebrity owl. He had merchandise of all kinds with his likeness, a dedicated website, Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter) accounts.

He was also photographed frequently, usually every day. Those photos would often post to the popular Manhattan Bird Alert X account (here). In short, with every movement and destination Flaco attended to, he was noticeable and high profile. He was infinitely loved as the uncontested mascot of Central Park.

A City Mourns

After his death, the world went into a kind of shock. News agencies reported on his death as if the world lost an essential cog within a kind of mechanical operation. Many memorials popped up inside Central Park, and bird sites flooded with memories of his visitations and appearance. The memorials are filled with notes and poems, artwork, flowers, stuffed owls and teddy bears, and other personal objects meant to loudly echo the growing loss felt by many.

A petition is being circulated to ask for a statue to be placed in Flaco’s honor. Additionally, a previously initiated bill crafted to require renovations to existing buildings to help birds from flying blindly into windows is being renamed Flaco’s Act. If ever the time existed to bring attention to this long-concerning issue, Flaco, alone, has multiplied the urgency for it.

An 8^th Street mural featuring Flaco had been in the works by Calicho Arevalo and was completed on Saturday after the news of Flaco’s death was announced. To date, he has painted eight murals of Flaco throughout the city. He finds a deep connection to Flaco, who defied those who felt the owl could not survive Central Park all alone.

Flaco was determined to be as healthy as he could have ever been. His current weight equaled his last known weight while at the zoo. That’s our Flaco, who belonged to everyone, and to no one. NYC’s Mayor, Eric Adams, took to X to state, “We were saddened to hear about the passing of our neighbor Flaco, who captivated New Yorkers and reminded us of the beautiful wilderness that exists in our bustling urban landscape. Although he’s gone, his spirit will fly over NYC forever.”

Flaco represents what all of us yearn for and proved that, yes, you can excel. We mourn his demise and feel bad about the way his departure happened. We hope for better infrastructure to help protect our feathered friends.

Fly Free, Flaco.