New York’s latest celebrity resident is turning heads — and hooting after dark.
An American Barn Owl has taken up residence in Manhattan, making its presence known across the Upper West Side.
The distinctive white bird, recognizable by its heart-shaped face, has been screeching through the neighborhood for about a month. It appears to have settled in full time, likely drawn by the area’s plentiful supply of rats.
The owl was photographed this weekend in a paparazzi-style moment that delighted local residents. Neighbors seemed especially impressed that the bird had secured a prime Uptown perch without having to face a co-op board interview.
“It’s always fun to see what kind of wildlife we can get living near Central Park, but this was far more unique and exciting,” said Ms. Williams, who photographed the owl from her patio near West 76th Street and Central Park West. She asked to be identified by her surname only.
Williams said she heard the owl long before she ever saw it, first noticing its loud, raspy screeches over Labor Day weekend.
Neither she nor her husband could identify the unusual call. Their confusion deepened when the Merlin app, which identifies bird sounds, determined that it belonged to an American Barn Owl.
Williams finally spotted the bird about a month later, perched on a nearby ledge.
Several other residents have also reported seeing the owl flying through their yards in recent weeks, according to the West Side Rag, which first reported the unusual sighting.
Birders say the owl may not be entirely new to Manhattan, however. It may simply have shifted its territory by a few blocks.
The American Barn Owl is believed to be the same bird that spent the past two years hunting in Central Park. Dense foliage kept it largely hidden from casual visitors while making it a prized find among birdwatchers.
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“What’s new is it being, almost every night, on the Upper West Side outside of Central Park,” said David Barrett, who runs the popular X account Manhattan Bird Alert.
Barrett said the owl is likely hunting along the Upper West Side, where rats may be easier to catch than in the park. “Buildings have rats, and it’s easier to catch a rat on a flat surface around the building than it is in a park where rats have all sorts of places they can scurry to and hide,” he explained.
Birders had previously theorized that the owl might be traveling from New Jersey’s Meadowlands to Central Park in search of prey. But with rats apparently abundant on the Upper West Side, the bird may now have become a full-time New Yorker.
“This owl is now a resident on the Upper West Side. That’s big news,” Barrett said.
Barn Owls are not entirely unknown in New York City.
About a dozen live on an island in Jamaica Bay, where conservationists have placed specially built wooden nesting boxes to help sustain the population.
The Parks Department has also recorded Barn Owl sightings in Pelham Bay, at the New York Botanical Garden and at Floyd Bennett Field.
Still, the owl’s move into the city streets has raised concerns among birders.
“This is a problem, as I see it, because outside Central Park is also where it’s totally legal and widespread to use rodenticide,” Barrett said. “Rats outside Central Park can be assumed to be laden with rodenticides, or to have encountered them, at the very least.”
Intervention is unlikely — the species can reach top speeds of 20 miles per hour, making capture difficult.
But fortunately, the barn owl appears healthy and enjoying city life.
