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Residents reported seeing what they estimated were four or five owls near a West 76th Street courtyard, but neither the count nor the birds’ identification has been confirmed. A local birding account said the blurry photos were consistent with barn owls; the report does not establish that the birds were a family.

What happened on the Upper West Side?

In a report published October 7, 2026, and updated October 8, West Side Rag described residents’ possible owl sightings around a building courtyard near West 76th Street and Central Park West. Residents estimated that they had seen four or five owls across their observations and photographs. That is an estimate across sightings, not a count of birds captured together in one image.

The report does not identify a nest, establish the birds’ ages, or show that they were related. “Family” is a playful description, not a verified relationship.

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Are the birds definitely barn owls?

No definitive identification is documented. West Side Rag said the photographs were blurry and residents were unsure whether all the birds were barn owls. It quoted the Manhattan Bird Alert account as saying, “The photos are blurry, but coloration and shape are consistent with Barn owls.” That is an attributed assessment of the images, not official confirmation. The report does not cite an identification by NYC Parks or a qualified ornithologist.

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Are barn owls found in New York City?

Yes, though they are rare in New York State. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) says the remaining known breeding areas are on the Coastal Lowlands, chiefly Long Island and Staten Island, and describes the species’ abundance and distribution as declining. That statewide assessment does not determine whether the Manhattan birds are local breeders, migrants, or visitors. See the DEC’s American Barn Owl status assessment.

The assessment reports that barn owls occupied 126 atlas blocks, or 2.4% of survey blocks, in the 1980–85 New York Breeding Bird Atlas, compared with 28 blocks, or 0.5%, in the 2000–05 atlas. These are block-occupancy results, not counts of individual owls or a current population estimate. DEC cautions that the third atlas uses a different block layout, complicating direct comparisons. Its assessment also reported five occupied priority blocks out of 1,815 in the ongoing 2020–25 atlas; that was a partial result while the atlas was underway, not a final statewide count.

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Where do barn owls nest, and does the courtyard have a nest?

DEC lists nesting cavities in barns and other outbuildings, cliff crevices, and man-made nest boxes. Those varied sites make urban nesting plausible in general, but the available report does not show that there is a nest in this courtyard. It gives no confirmed nest location, so the sighting should not be treated as evidence of breeding there.

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What does older New York City owl history tell us?

A 2010 overview from the DEC’s Conservationist described barn owls as nocturnal hunters and recounted historical city examples, including openings in the old Yankee Stadium and nest boxes around Jamaica Bay. The article said 11 owl species had been recorded in New York City and that three species—barn owl, eastern screech-owl, and great horned owl—were then still nesting there. Those are figures and examples from 2010, not a current city census or confirmation of the 2026 birds. Read the DEC’s 2010 overview of New York City owls.

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How to observe wildlife responsibly

Do not visit or gather at a private courtyard to look for the birds. If you encounter wildlife in a place where you are permitted to be, keep your distance and avoid approaching, calling to, feeding, or otherwise disturbing it. NYC’s general red-tailed hawk guidance recommends binoculars or a scope for distant observation; that is general advice, not barn-owl-specific guidance. The city’s wildlife FAQ says not to feed wild animals.

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