Flaco Flees Love-Starved Central Park In Search Of Downtown Hooters

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Turns out the Central Park dating scene is a bit of a dud if you're a 13-year-old Eurasian Eagle Owl.

Flaco, the fugitive owl who flew free after a vandal damaged his Central Park Zoo enclosure in February, has now left his adopted home in the north woods of the park for a hipper downtown scene.

And some in the Central Park birding scene chalk it up to just healthy teenage behavior — Flaco could be in search of a mate.

Last week, Flaco fans were mildly alarmed to discover that the normally reliable sight of the large bird was nowhere to be found.

David Barrett, who runs the popular Manhattan Bird Alert account on X, the website formerly known as Twitter, said that Flaco was last spotted on Oct. 31, posting that he probably left the park that day.

Another Flaco watcher and bird photographer, David Lei, told the New York Times that he and others had been looking for their large bird friend for nearly a week to no avail, and had started to grow concerned.

On Monday, he turned up in an unlikely place: the Kenkeleba House Garden in the East Village, about five miles away from his North Woods stomping grounds.

The latest Flaco adventure proved another surprise for the eurasian eagle owl, known for their distinctive large, orange eyes.

Back in February, many doubted the owl could even survive the wild after 13 long years of confinement, much less make his way downtown.

"When he was released from the Zoo 9 months ago, he could not fly well," Lei posted on social media, along with a picture of Flaco in his new downtown digs. "He tired quickly and crashed into branches. Last week, he navigated 5 miles of cityscape to get downtown. Remarkable!"

Some speculated that Flaco could be fleeing his adoring fans — or was looking to escape an annoying flock of crows — but Lei and Barrett believe that Flaco's flight path is a search for love.

Writing on social media, Barrett said it's cuffing season for both owls and humans.

🧵 We think that Flaco the Eurasian Eagle-Owl left Central Park in search of a mate. It's the time of year when these owls look to pair up if unattached. Flaco's hoots have gone unanswered for a long time now. He is unaware that no mates are anywhere in the region.
— Manhattan Bird Alert (@BirdCentralPark) November 7, 2023

"It's the time of year when these owls look to pair up if unattached," he wrote. "Flaco's hoots have gone unanswered for a long time now. He is unaware that no mates are anywhere in the region."

"Can we help him with that?" one social media user asked, adding that they were "asking seriously."

"No," Barrett replied, "that would be ecologically unadvisable."

But leaving the green expanses of the park means more exposure to the main dangers facing large birds of prey like Flaco: rodenticide-filled rats and cars — both of which are rare in Central Park.

In 2021, a beloved barred owl that captivated a city under pandemic lockdown, Barry, was believed to be a victim of both after she was struck and killed by a worker driving a Central Park Conservatory vehicle.

Barry was discovered to have consumed a huge amount of rat poison which could have impaired her flight, poison most likely first consumed by the rodents she ate.

According to a post on Tuesday from Barrett's account, Flaco was reportedly not seen in the East Village garden that morning.

"Birds in general have excellent geographic memory," Barrett posted. "If Flaco wants to return to Central Park, he should know how."