Published at 1:32 a.m. Updated at 6:00 a.m.
As Obelix would say, these New Yorkers are crazy! What is this owl story that everyone is talking about?
Since his escape from the Central Park Zoo in February 2023, Flaco’s adventures have captivated New Yorkers, more and more of whom recognize this male European eagle owl posted in a tree or on the edge of a cornice in the American metropolis. It was not uncommon to see many birdwatchers and wildlife photographers in Central Park looking to observe it. According to journalist Ed Shanahan, New York Times, Flaco had also become the muse of several artists, including tattoo artists, poets and composers. This was also the case for artist Calicho Arevalo, who had already painted eight murals by Flaco on different buildings at the time of the bird’s death.
PHOTO BING GUAN, ARCHIVES REUTERS
Colombian-born artist Calicho Arevalo makes changes to one of his works last Sunday after it was covered in graffiti in Freemans Alley in New York.
What was special about this Flaco?
It could be said that its rarity was surely one of the factors explaining its popularity. As its name suggests in English, theEurasian eagle-owl (European eagle owl) does not live in America, but rather in Europe and Asia, where the species is not considered threatened. Falco was born in captivity in 2010 in a zoo in North Carolina before being transferred to Central Park the same year. Measuring between 65 and 75 cm in height, this species of owl has a wingspan of up to 1.88 m once its wings are spread. Males (2 to 2.5 kg) are generally smaller than females (2.5 to 3.3 kg).
Read the text by Richard Hétu “Flaco, the raptor that fascinates New York”
How could such a bird survive in a city like New York?
This fear was shared by several experts, who did not see how Flaco could survive for long in such an environment. According to the first results communicated by the Central Park Zoo, the bird died as a result of a traumatic injury. Further tests will determine whether he had also been exposed to different toxic products present in the environment in New York.
PHOTO BING GUAN, ARCHIVES REUTERS
Messages and flowers abounded at the foot of an oak tree in Central Park after the news of Flaco’s death.
I think I’ve already read that millions of birds die every year after colliding with building windows.
This is indeed the case. According to a recent study published in The Wilson Journal of Ornithologybetween 621 million and 1.7 billion birds die each year in the United States after colliding with a building or home.
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, ARCHIVES LA PRESSE
Some glass is treated to reduce the risk of birds colliding with buildings.
Ouch! And in Canada, is the picture different? Do we have any figures on this phenomenon?
The data is less recent, but in a study published in 2013 in the journal Avian Conservation Ecology, it was estimated that around 25 million birds die each year after a collision with a building. Houses were then largely responsible (90%) for these collisions, followed by low-rise buildings (10%) and buildings (1%).
But if I remember correctly, cats do even more damage, right?
Oh yeah ! According to the American Bird Conservancy, cats kill approximately 2.4 billion birds each year in the United States. In Canada, it is estimated that our felines kill between 100 and 350 million birds annually. Still according to the study published in the journal Avian Conservation Ecology“predation by domestic cats is probably the most significant cause of human-related bird mortality in Canada.”
This is a sad assessment. Aren’t bird populations around the world already in decline?
According to a report published in 2022 by the international organization BirdLife, the situation of birds in general is rather worrying. One in eight species is threatened with extinction. Nearly half of the world’s bird species (49%) are also in decline. The causes are multiple, but habitat loss caused by agriculture, logging and invasive alien species ranks first alongside climate change.
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, ARCHIVES LA PRESSE
The Castor and Mitan islands, opposite Berthierville on the St. Lawrence River, have been rewilded in recent years. 30,000 trees were planted there to provide new nesting places for birds.
What can be done to slow this decline in urban areas?
We asked the question to Jean-Sébastien Guénette, biologist and general director of the QuébecOiseaux group. “Our last benefit evening was precisely that, the theme: cohabitation with birds in an urban environment. We want to develop tools to help municipalities be more efficient and become bird-friendly cities. » In collaboration with Nature Canada, the organization has established the Bird Friendly City program which helps reduce human threats to bird populations. Until now, the municipality of Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue is the only one in Quebec to have received this certification. “The majority of the municipalities we approached are really interested in working with us, but often, they don’t really know where to start. It affects several aspects,” points out Mr. Guénette.
With information from New York Times a you Guardian
2024-02-28 06:32:59
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