The news that Flaco has been killing and eating pigeons has raised some concerns on social media. His change of diet from rodents to pigeons most likely lowers his health risks. The pigeons are less likely to be poisoned by could contain lead, Avian Flu or Frounce.

What is a major concern is something the zoo administration, the “Free Flaco” movement, the media and local birding organizations have all chosen to ignore which is, what will Flaco’s impact be on native wildlife? Will Flaco move on from killing feral Rock Pigeons to native birds? And will he raid hawk and falcon nests, as Eurasian Eagle-Owls do in Europe and Asia?

This spring, because people acted in their own self-interests and only thought about the short term, we may have a major crisis. If Flaco behaves like other Eurasian Eagle-Owls and predates on raptor and falcon nests, what should be done? At this point he will be very difficult to recapture, since he’s left Central Park and changed diets. And since he is still the property of the WCS, who has the authority to recapture him is also a difficult question to answer.

The only option might be to let him take protected birds or euthanize him. Neither option is a positive outcome.

The likelihood that Flaco would interfere with native wildlife was clear from the beginning. It’s frustrating that we have let Flaco’s beauty, celebrity status and resilience blind us from focusing on the long-term impact of letting an invasive species remain loose in New York City.

I learned from some other owl watchers that Flaco has been seen with pigeons as early as December of 2023. This would make sense that as he expanded his territory, he would discover new prey.

On Friday night, Flaco repeated much the same behavior I saw on Monday. He used most of the same perches, and ate his pigeon on the same ledge as before.

The challenge now will be find out where he’s hunting!

While Flaco has been out of the park these last few months, where and how he has been hunting has been a mystery. He has been roosting in courtyards full of rodents, but he’s also been seen going into Central Park late in the evening, so where and what he was hunting has been uncertain. There were one or two occasions where he was spotted eating a rat, but those of us observing him haven’t seen him hunting.

So, it was quite a surprise when I saw him with a dead bird on Monday evening. The head had already been removed and the wings torn off, but it was most likely a Rock Pigeon. It would be easy for Flaco to take a roosting pigeon off a building ledge. It is probably easier, than hunting moving rats on the ground.

What’s unclear is how long he has been eating birds. I don’t think anyone has been collecting his pellets since he left the park. Pigeons could easily have been added to his diet, anytime since he left Central Park.

When Flaco was in the Central Park Zoo, the staff tried to diversify his diet, but he would only eat rats. So, his eating a bird is yet another milestone in Flaco’s life outside of the zoo. But it increases concerns that he might begin predating on nesting hawks and falcons.

Flaco, carried the prey around the area, hooting away. He’s also done this with rats in Central Park. I suspect his instincts are not only to hoot for any potential mate, but to also show that he’s a good provider. Late in the evening, Flaco settled down and ate the bird.

Rock Pigeons are safer than rodents caught in courtyards, but not perfectly safe. They carry Frounce, a form of trichomoniasis, which can be transmitted to raptors when consumed. Untreated it is often fatal for raptors. Frounce has been a problem for many Red-tailed Hawks in NYC. Pigeons can also have high lead levels.

Flaco was in similar locations on Sunday night, as he had been on Saturday night. It is hard to watch Flaco, hoot for hours knowing he will never find another Eurasian Eagle-Owl. He certainly is a stranger in a strange land. There isn’t much that can be done at this point. The genie is out of the bottle. Or maybe we need a new expression, the owl is out of the zoo.

Flaco is already a risk to native wildlife, and certainly would be if he had a mate, so it would be inappropriate to release a female Eurasian Eagle-Owl to join him. And of course if he bred, the offspring would be forced to mate with their siblings. So, introducing another owl isn’t a solution. (And for those thinking of introducing an infertile female owl might be a solution, even an infertile pair would be aggressive towards native wildlife, especially Peregrine Falcons.)

For those wishing he would mate with a native species, such as a Great Horned Owl, this is highly unlikely. Successful cross breeding of Eurasian Eagle-Owls with other bubo species, have only been recorded in captivity. And if Flaco had offspring with another bubo species, it could corrupt the gene pool for native species.

This is what happens when you glorify a criminal act, and create an environment where a zoo is allowed to abandon its responsibility to recover an animal in its collection.