Flaco, New York City's beloved owl, dies after striking building

[Donkees]

Flaco went down after striking a building on West 89th Street and people reported the injured owl to the Wild Bird Fund (WBF), a statement from the Central Park Zoo said. WBF staffers soon found Flaco unresponsive and pronounced him dead at the scene.

Central Park Zoo officials said they went to pick up Flaco’s remains after being notified of his death by the WBF. The remains were then taken to the Bronx Zoo to undergo a necropsy.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/feb/24/flaco-new-york-citys-beloved-owl-dies-after-striking-building

[Blues Heron]

1. Our cities are not compatible with the natural world - hubris and ignorant architects are a bad combo for critters

[Donkees]

3. NYC Bald Eagle "Rover" was also killed this week

Ruben Giron

Rover the Bald Eagle, a Central Park celebrity, died on Monday after being struck by a vehicle on the West Side Highway while scavenging for a small animal, according to Manhattan Bird Alert, a popular Manhattan birding social media account.

Rover was named after his R7 identification tag, which was placed on him shortly after his hatching in May of 2018 in Connecticut. He shot to fame in January 2022 when he hunted in Brooklyn and Manhattan, including over the Central Park Reservoir.

https://www.westsiderag.com/2024/02/21/rover-the-bald-eagle-central-park-celebrity-killed-by-vehicle-on-west-side-highway

[Donkees]

5. *

[Bluepinky]

7. RIP Rover and Flaco.

Magnificent creatures.

[GiqueCee]

2. What a shame...

... owls are magnificent birds.

[sinkingfeeling]

4. R.I.P.

[Donkees]

6. Flaco on West 85th Street fire-escape last week

Flaco the Eurasian Eagle-Owl found this fire escape on West 85th Street to be a comfortable and quiet daytime resting place last week.

@BirdCentralPark

[modrepub]

8. Flaco Would Probably Still Be Alive

if he hadn't been let out of his cage.

I have very mixed emotions seeing wild animals "controlled" in an artificial setting. Flaco, when given a choice between living a long life in a cage or taking his chances in the wilds of NYC took the later. He apparently delighted a lot of folks in his new home range and managed to "teach" himself how to fly and fend for himself. I have a firm belief that most animals have some genetic aptitude for fending for themselves (unless severely injured); they don't really need to be "taught" how to live.

A shorter life of freedom is no indication of failure by this animal. Well done Flaco.

[Donkees]

9. Flaco at the North Woods in Central Park, NYC

Feb 26, 2023

[Donkees]

10. 'Examination also indicated that he was thin, possibly underweight'. "He wasn't truly thriving,"

A necropsy, to be performed by the Wildlife Conservation Society, will provide the most definitive answers. His initial examination, performed Friday by the Wild Bird Fund, a rescue group, showed a contusion on his chest and an impact to his right eye. He may have been dead by the time he hit the ground, said Rita McMahon, the group’s director. If not, the impact from the fall may have killed him.

But the examination also indicated that he was thin, possibly underweight.

“He wasn’t truly thriving,” Ms. McMahon said.

Preliminary gross findings from his necropsy by the Wildlife Conservation Society, which operates the Central Park Zoo, are expected as early as Saturday, a spokeswoman said. The results of testing on tissue samples are expected in coming weeks.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/24/climate/flaco-owl-city-dangers.html

[Donkees]

12. Initial Necropsy Findings for Flaco Are Consistent with Death Due to Acute Traumatic Injury

New York City, Feb. 24, 2024 – The following statement was released by Central Park Zoo:

Bronx Zoo pathologists performed a necropsy today on Flaco, the Central Park Zoo’s Eurasian eagle owl, who died yesterday evening after reportedly colliding with a Manhattan building.

The initial findings are consistent with death due to acute traumatic injury. The main impact appears to have been to the body, as there was substantial hemorrhage under the sternum and in the back of the body cavity around the liver. There also was a small amount of bleeding behind the left eye, but otherwise there was no evidence of head trauma. No bone fractures were found. Flaco was in good body condition at the time of death, with good muscling and adequate fat stores. His last weight taken at the Central Park Zoo was 1.9 kg (4.2 lb). He was 1.86 kg (4.1bs) at necropsy.

The next step will be to identify any underlying factors that may have negatively affected his health or otherwise contributed to the event. This will include microscopic examination of tissue samples; toxicology tests to evaluate potential exposures to rodenticides or other toxins; and testing for infectious diseases such as West Nile Virus and Avian Influenza. Results from this testing will take weeks to be completed.

Flaco’s tragic and untimely death highlights the issue of bird strikes and their devastating effects on wild bird populations. It is estimated that nearly one quarter of a million birds die annually in New York City as a result of colliding with buildings.

https://newsroom.wcs.org/News-Releases/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/22060/Initial-Necropsy-Findings-for-Flaco-Are-Consistent-with-Death-Due-to-Acute-Traumatic-Injury.aspx

[Donkees]

11. NYT: New Yorkers Mourn Flaco

Flaco inspired a devoted following in New York City and beyond after his escape from the Central Park Zoo a year ago.
Credit: David Lei/David Lei, via Associated Press

Pjetar Nikac has been the superintendent at 267 West 89th Street, an eight-story apartment building near Riverside Park, for 30 years. What happened there Friday made it a day he wouldn’t forget. Mr. Nikac was returning from a trip to the store at around 5 p.m. when he noticed an object on the ground in the building’s courtyard space. “I thought it was a rock,” he said. “I came closer and I saw: Owl.” Mr. Nikac knew immediately that it was not just any owl, but Flaco, the Eurasian eagle-owl who just three weeks ago passed the one-year mark of living in the relative wilds of Manhattan.

Although he was still alive when Mr. Nikac found him and, with Alan Drogin, a birder and building resident, rushed to get him help, Flaco was soon pronounced dead.

He said he was not sure how exactly Flaco died, but that when he reviewed security footage from Friday evening, it briefly showed the bird falling, fast, and jostling the camera.

“He was so beautiful,” Mr. Nikac recalled.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/24/nyregion/flaco-eurasian-eagle-owl-nyc.html

[LetMyPeopleVote]

13. Tributes to Flaco

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Link to tweet