Flaco, NYC's celebrated owl, done in by rat poison and pigeon herpes: necropsy

Flaco, New York’s beloved Eurasian Eagle-Owl escapee, was suffering from a severe pigeon virus and high levels of rat poison when he flew into a building last month and died, according to a statement released Monday by the Central Park Zoo and publicized by the Wildlife Conservation Society.

The report adds another bleak layer to Flaco’s tragic story of freedom, isolation and survival in the wilds of New York City. News of his death last month prompted an outpouring of memorials, works of art, poems and commemorative tattoos.

In the end, the city that made him famous would be his downfall.

Postmortem testing by Bronx Zoo veterinarian pathologists concluded that Flaco’s urban diet of wild pigeons and rats may have sped his demise: afflicting him with two serious conditions that “may have predisposed him to flying into or falling from the building,” according to the statement.

Either of those two ailments would have ultimately been fatal on their own, the report stated.

The pigeon herpesvirus – which is often carried by healthy wild pigeons but can be dangerous for birds of prey who eat them – had caused significant damage to Flaco’s tissue and inflammation of his spleen, liver, gastrointestinal tract, bone marrow and brain.

Additionally, the vets found that Flaco had exposure to four different anticoagulant rodent poisons commonly used in New York City.

“Flaco’s severe illness and death are ultimately attributed to a combination of factors — infectious disease, toxin exposures, and traumatic injuries — that underscore the hazards faced by wild birds, especially in an urban setting,” the Central Park Zoo said in the statement.

Still-unidentified vandals cut open Flaco’s enclosure at the zoo on Feb. 2, 2023, allowing him to fly out into the open air of the city.

After early attempts at capturing him were unsuccessful, the zoo stopped trying – and Flaco learned to hunt and live in Manhattan, capturing the hearts of thousands of fans who flocked to see him.

High levels of rat poison were also found after a necropsy of Barry the owl, another of New York City’s beloved birds of prey.

Barry, a female owl, lived in Central Park and died in Sept. 2021 after being hit by a truck. The levels of rodenticide in her system may have impaired her flying abilities, according to a report obtained by THE CITY.