Barn Owl Family Nests in Manhattan, Draws Crowds

Elena Vasquez · 2026-10-16T02:20:28.943Z

I can't believe barn owls are nesting in a water tower on the Upper West Side. That's a nice surprise for the neighborhood.

Barn Owl Family Nests in Manhattan, Draws Crowds — Photo: USFWS Mountain-Prairie / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

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A family of barn owls nested in a rooftop water tower atop a nine-story building on West 75th Street near Central Park West. Andrew Farnsworth of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology said it is the first documented nest in Manhattan in recorded history and called it totally shocking. Two adults are raising at least five fledglings; David Barrett's photos confirm five and some observers report six. Nightly crowds gather near Central Park West to watch after dark. Residents including Elisabeth and Sam Williams heard raspy screeching from early September. Sam saw a dark shape fly past on Oct. 3; Elisabeth confirmed a barn owl by photo and notified a local outlet on Oct. 6. Barrett has seen an adult carry rodents to the tower. Jessica Wilson of NYC Bird Alliance said seeing the magical, secretive birds is really thrilling. Val Coleman hoped they will not eat poisoned rats. Barrett said a breeding family in Manhattan for the first time in recorded history is special news. New York DEC lists barn owls as a Species of Greatest Conservation Need after a 78 percent decline in occupied breeding survey blocks since the 1980s. Most remaining state breeders are on Long Island and Staten Island. Barn owls are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Flaco the Eurasian eagle-owl died in 2024 with pigeon herpesvirus and four types of rat poison found post-mortem.