Owls like Flaco eat rats. Can they be the answer to NYC’s rat problem?

NEW YORK (PIX11) – When Flaco the owl escaped the Central Park Zoo, bird watchers followed his adventures throughout Manhattan.  

Flaco was observed hooting from fire escapes, exploring the Lower East Side, and eating rodents, which he ate whole according to Urban Hawks. Following Flaco’s death last week, a Redditor posed a pressing question: 

“Why doesn’t the city just release a bunch of owls to help care for the rat problem? What am I missing here? Seems like an easy solution, no?” 

So PIX11 News asked the experts as well as City Hall.

New York City has tried to combat its rat population in many ways: Extermination, implementing new trash container policies, and using ContraPest, a type of birth control that was not successful, according to a veterinarian PIX11 News interviewed.  

So, Could Owls like Flaco be the answer?  

“Hawks might be a better bet,” said Reddit user Laara2008. “But first we have to take steps to make sure our buildings are bird-safe so that we don't lose more of these magnificent creatures.”  

Experts weigh in:  

"A healthy ecosystem relies on a variety of predators to find balance, not just one species,” said Sunny Corrao, Public Engagement Associate for the Wildlife Unit at NYC Parks. “While it is true that owls eat rats, they also eat a variety of small animals, including mice, frogs, birds, squirrels, snakes, fish, and lizards — they do not specifically target rats as their prey. Most species of owls found in NYC utilize parks and other natural areas for habitat.” 

The New York City Parks Department said owls and other wild birds rarely choose to be near people. Flaco was an exception. 

This observation was echoed by another comment on the Reddit thread.  

“Those larger birds of prey need pretty big green spaces and large trees for a habitat, so you see them around Central Park and Riverside all the time,” said Ozarkthistle.  

The mayor’s office meanwhile, said “they don't normally set policy based on Reddit comments, adding they already have a solution to the problem by taking away their food sources. After hundreds of years of tens of millions of pounds of trash being placed directly on New York City’s curbs each day, Mayor Adams has committed to move ALL of the trash into containers, and that is what we are doing,” the spokesperson said. “As of this Friday, every single business in the City – accounting for 20 million pounds of trash per day – will be required to use bins instead of setting their bags on the street where the rats can get them.”

Other large birds like Flaco will not be making an official appearance to help New York City combat the rat population.