2023-04-26 19:00:05
One of Central Park’s newest wild residents has ensconced himself in one of its most picturesque corners, near a stream where a small waterfall flows. On Easter Sunday, regarding 30 walkers gathered near a tree in Manhattan’s famous green space where Flaco, an Eurasian eagle owl who escaped from the park’s zoo, has perched. Some people carried binoculars, others telephoto lenses. Ardith Bondi had both. With a hat on her head, this septuagenarian is a pro at bird watching. But this was not her day: The shadow from a branch blocked the perfect shot. “Why do people come? Because he’s so beautiful!” she said.
The beautiful creature is certainly worth the journey. His eyes are a piercing orange and his downy brown plumage, streaked with black, allows him to blend into the landscape. Two stunning, earlike feather tufts on his head tend to rise whenever he’s agitated. His royal silhouette looms large: The Eurasian eagle owl is one of the biggest species of nocturnal raptor. Although the males, like Flaco, are smaller than the females, their wingspan can nonetheless reach almost 2 meters. People across various social media platforms have been competing with each other by posting photos of the majestic Flaco, enthusiastically following his adventures. There is always someone tracking his latest location. He even has a Twitter account that features the best photos people have posted of him on the internet.
Born in captivity
The bird’s story is worthy of a Walt Disney screenplay. In February, his zoo enclosure was found empty. A hole large enough for its inhabitant to squeeze through had been cut in the stainless steel fence. In its natural habitat, in Europe and Asia, the owl usually lives far from humans, on cliffs and rocks or in wooded areas. Flaco, on the other hand, has found his freedom at the heart of a vast metropolis. Having been born in captivity and arriving very young at the Central Park Zoo in 2010, he never learned to hunt for his food. Zookeepers were therefore worried regarding his ability to survive. For two weeks they tried out different strategies for recovering him, but the animal is known to be a difficult one to capture. While Flaco showed some interest in the bait that was scattered here and there and in the recorded calls of his fellow owls, he didn’t fall for the ruse.
As the days went by, the owl began to gain confidence and his flight became more assured. People’s fears began to dissipate. Quiet and quick, the owl is a skilled hunter. It can even turn its head 270 degrees to spot its prey. Its black, hooked beak and long, slender talons are formidable weapons. And Flaco obviously hasn’t forgotten how to use them. His pellets – undigested, regurgitated remains such as bones and hair – show that he has begun to feed on the many rats that populate Central Park and more broadly New York City – much to the chagrin of the city’s mayor, Eric Adams.
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