Flaco the owl's flight of freedom celebrated at NYC museum exhibit

New York's favorite owl is being commemorated with his own exhibit at the New York Historical.

"The Year of Flaco" details the Eurasian eagle-owl's escape from the Central Park Zoo and how he survived a year in the wild while also capturing the hearts of New Yorkers.

"It's kind of like when a butterfly lands on your arm, you tend to think wow, I've been blessed by the divine," New York Historical curator Rebecca Klassen.

Flaco the owl first swooped into New Yorkers' lives under peculiar circumstances after video caught him landing right on Fifth Avenue and 60th Street in February 2023. Vandals had cut netting to his enclosure at the Central Park Zoom and from there he went.

The bird with distinct ear tufts and his mesmerizing eyes moved all around Manhattan, and even dropped in on some residents' window sills.

All those moves are part of the exhibit.

"He showed us the best of what New York can be," added Klassen. "He showed us, despite constraints that are opposed upon you, you can rise to the occasion, look to your intrinsic abilities and really thrive and soar."

Flaco had been in captivity and fending for himself since arriving at the zoo in 2010. Once he escaped, plans were called off to try and capture him. But luck wasn't on Flaco's side, as seen in the part of the exhibit when he died after colliding with a building on Feb. 23, 2024. Testing also showed he had eaten feral pigeons and rats laced with poisoning.

A gathering for Flaco was held at his favorite Oak tree in the park after his death, with some of the trinkets left at its base. One of them was a letter from a woman named Olivia, who was suffering from crippling depression. The letter read, "Seeing you peacefully rest in your tree turned the worst days around and when I applied to law school, I thought of you every time I thought I would fail."

"New Yorkers really grieved tremendously but they also looked to him as a beacon of hope and held that in their hearts," Klassen acknowledged.

The exhibit also touches on how Flaco galvanized efforts to improve bird safety and conservation in the city. Legislation was named after him and a proposed bill are now on the table.

"The Year of Flaco" runs at the museum through July 6.