{"id":42222,"date":"2025-01-14T13:17:44","date_gmt":"2025-01-14T19:17:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/pet-birds\/?p=42222"},"modified":"2026-01-19T12:38:23","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T18:38:23","slug":"nycs-famous-owl-flaco-celebrated-in-new-book","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/pet-birds\/nycs-famous-owl-flaco-celebrated-in-new-book\/","title":{"rendered":"NYC\u2019s Famous Owl, Flaco, Celebrated In New Book"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Flaco,
Rhododendrites<\/a>, CC BY-SA 4.0<\/a>, via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For quite a while, the world was fascinated with the exploits of a wily Eurasian Eagle Owl named Flaco as witnessed by adoring NYC residents. As the story goes, his enclosure at Central Park Zoo was vandalized in February of 2023, creating a gap that allowed the resident owl to flee his home. Traps were set up, and he artfully defied capture until authorities decided to let him be. From that point forward, Flaco flew the skies, visited Manhattan, and hung out in the trees for an entire year.<\/p>\n

During that year, Flaco honed his instinctual hunting skills and flight capability to become one with his surroundings. However, his story does end tragically as on February 23, 2024, Flaco was found dead, a casualty of having flown into a building. A necropsy showed his body to be severely exposed to four kinds of rat-control poisons. He also had a severe case of herpesvirus, likely acquired by an infected pigeon that was part of his diet.<\/p>\n

After the arrival of Flaco, two wildlife photographers \u2014 Jacqueline Emery and David Lei \u2014 made it a goal to observe the comings and goings of the owl. With over 150 opportunities, the pair photographed Flaco under many surroundings and situations. They compiled a year-long journal filled with photos and writings to chronicle the movement of NYC\u2019s beloved bird. By then, Flaco had been followed by hundreds of thousands of fans worldwide, including myself, via published accounts and photos.<\/p>\n

An Owl’s Life In The City<\/h3>\n

Earlier in December, the two photographers joined to create a 224-page book detailing the life of Flaco from the time of his escape until the event of his untimely death. They do so with exclusive photos and journal entries accumulated during Flaco\u2019s short but triumphant period of freedom. The new book, published in December of 2024, “Finding Flaco”<\/a> goes a long way in documenting Flaco and his transformation from a fed zoo owl to a wild owl having to fend for itself. The book details events and offers intimate looks at Flaco life in the big city. It details observations of Flaco defending himself from other predator birds and acclimating to the wild in many forms, including seasonal changes.<\/p>\n

“Finding Flaco” draws comparisons between the famous owl with that of other observed owls who had taken residence in the park from time to time. In addition, the book closely looks at why Flaco was a favorite in the world of bird observation. It borrows and showcases artwork and stories from others who had the pleasure of seeing Flaco in his adopted world.<\/p>\n

“Finding Flaco” offers a look at the many mourners of his passing, their feelings and their efforts to create a safer park for owls and other birds. The book finishes with a close look at other Eurasian owls in their native lands augmented with details by conservationists in those areas.<\/p>\n

The book is published by Owls of New York<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Discover the incredible journey of NYC’s famous owl, Flaco, in “Finding Flaco,” a stunning new book chronicling his daring escape, wild adventures, and lasting legacy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8046,"featured_media":45925,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[171],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42222","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-everyday","bird-type-wild-bird"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nNYC\u2019s Famous Owl, Flaco, Celebrated In New Book – Pet Birds by Lafeber Co.<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover the journey of NYC's famous owl, Flaco, in "Finding Flaco," a new book chronicling his escape, wild adventures, and lasting 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