The Book of Flaco: The World’s Most Famous Bird

Gessner (creative writing, Univ. of North Carolina Wilmington; Leave It As It Is: A Journey Through Theodore Roosevelt’s American Wilderness) focuses his latest book on Flaco, the Eurasian eagle-owl that escaped from New York City’s Central Park Zoo in February of 2023 and lived the rest of his life freely in and around Central Park. He had been raised in captivity, being hand-fed and able to fly only a few feet inside his enclosure, but upon gaining his freedom, Flaco apparently appreciated the high perches—from balconies to water towers—available to him in Manhattan and feasted on the rats and pigeons that were plentiful in his new surrounds. This book is not just about Flaco; it’s also about the New Yorkers who delighted in his hoots and swoops. During his year of freedom, Flaco gained a following both in-person and online; birdwatchers reported his whereabouts, and anyone who managed to snap a picture of him and share it seemingly experienced at least a brief bout of popularity as well. Flaco’s death (the unfortunate result of eating poisoned rats and developing pigeon herpes) brought sadness, but this book keeps his story alive for all to enjoy.