New Yorkers mourn loss of free-flying Flaco the owl

Tributes poured in Saturday for Flaco, the beloved Eurasian eagle-owl who became a feel-good New York story after escaping his Central Park Zoo enclosure and flying free around Manhattan.

Flaco was found dead on a New York City sidewalk Friday night after apparently flying into a building. It was a heartbreaking end for the birders who documented the owl’s daily movements and the legions of admirers who eagerly followed along.

“Everybody feels the same, they’re devastated,” said Nicole Blair, a New York City artist who devoted much of her feed on the X social media platform, formerly Twitter, to photos and memes featuring the celebrity