Source: Fortune
Summary
A family of barn owls has nested in a water tower on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, marking the first documented instance of such a nesting in modern history. The owls, including at least two adults and several fledglings, have drawn nightly crowds of onlookers. Experts say barn owls are rare in New York City, with populations declining sharply. Residents initially mistook the owls’ screeches for distress calls, but the birds have since become a local fascination. Birders and non-birders alike are captivated by the unexpected presence of the nocturnal creatures in an urban setting.
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The numbers tell one story.
Two adult barn owls and five fledglings have nested in a Manhattan water tower.
Residents heard screeches and assumed they were from a person in distress.
Photographers and birders gather nightly to spot the birds.
The city’s first documented barn owl nesting in modern history feels like a rare, magical event.
Author: Evan Null
Barn owl sightings are rare in New York City
It’s not the first time that birds have captivated New Yorkers. Residents have fallen in love with American woodcocks, who are known to stop in Midtown Manhattan’s Bryant Park every year as they migrate north in early spring. After Flaco the Eurasian eagle-owl died in 2024, dozens of mournful fans gathered to say goodbye to the beloved creature who flew around Manhattan and became a joy to many after someone let him out of his zoo enclosure the previous year. Then there was Pale Male, a red-tailed hawk who nested above Fifth Avenue for three decades before dying in 2023.
But barn owl sightings in New York City parks are very rare, according to the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. New York is at the northern fringe of the barn owl’s range and the barn owl population has declined “at an alarming rate” over time, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
“There’s lots of excitement among New Yorkers, both birders and non-birders alike, about these owls because owls really capture the attention,” said Jessica Wilson, executive director of NYC Bird Alliance. “They’re magical, they’re nocturnal, they are secretive, they’re not commonly seen, especially on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. And to have this chance to see these birds is really thrilling.”
Photographers and casual onlookers have gathered on the street on a nightly basis to spot the owls.
“I’ve only seen one barn owl ever, and that was in California,” said Val Coleman, a retired New York City resident who was on the Upper West Side earlier this week trying to spot the owls. “At dusk, we hope they will come out to hunt. We hope they don’t eat poisoned rats with rodenticide in ’em.”
Screeching was heard by residents
Before the recent barn owl sightings, Williams and her husband heard periodic screeching noises outside going back to early September. They initially assumed it was a bird of some kind but were skeptical when a phone app indicated the noise was from a barn owl.
Thomas Obersteiner said that he first heard bizarre screeching and wailing noises from outside one evening in mid-September. It sounded like someone was “being murdered outside,” he said.
“That lasted for two or three weeks, every night, sometimes more, sometimes less, coming from different directions,” Obersteiner added. “But I had no idea what that was.”
On multiple occasions, Obersteiner or his wife ran into their children’s bedroom after mistaking the owls’ screech for a child in pain, he said. It wasn’t until he saw a news report that he realized that owls were making the sounds.
Farnsworth said the screech is typical of barn owls, who use it to communicate with one another. The screech is like a “horror movie kind of experience,” he said.
