The roof of a water tower in Manhattan where a rare family of barn owls nested has been removed

The roof of a water tower where a family of celebrity barn owls had been nesting in Manhattan’s Upper West Side has been removed, sparking outrage among New Yorkers who have been captivated by the elusive birds.

The barn owl family was discovered weeks ago, drawing crowds of people in the street eager to get a glimpse of the birds, including nature photographers. It is believed to be the first documented instance of barn owls nesting in Manhattan in modern history.

Jessica Wilson, the executive director of NYC Bird Alliance, said that she saw one barn owl fledgling Thursday on the roof of a nearby building after the roof of the water tower, which is located atop a building, was removed. Barn owl fledglings “should not be out in the middle of the day” because barn owls are nocturnal, she said.

“It had been disturbed from the nest,” Wilson added. “We didn’t see any more fledglings.”

NYC Bird Alliance received reports Thursday morning from residents and birders of work happening at the top of the tower, Wilson said. When Wilson got to the building, no workers were present. Enforcement police with the state Department of Environmental Conservation also arrived, Wilson said, and they all were able to access the building's roof with the permission of the building's superintendent. Wilson saw that the top of the water tower where the barn owls had been nesting was gone.

The New York Department of Environmental Conservation said in a statement that its police officers “investigated the area and found that the roof of the water tower on the building was removed, exposing the barn owl nest.”

The officers told the building owner to “halt demolition of the water tower until further notice” while the department investigates any potential violations, the department added.

Reached by phone, the building's superintendent declined to comment. It's not immediately clear who owns the building or ordered the removal of the water tower's roof.

Thomas Obersteiner, an Upper West Side resident, said he saw a man with an extension cord climbing down from the water tower around noon on Thursday.

The news of the water tower roof removal prompted criticism.

“I am outraged by reports that construction work on an Upper West Side water tower destroyed part of the structure that was home to Manhattan’s first Barn Owl nest, potentially endangering a pair of owls and their several fledglings," New York State Sen. Erik Bottcher said in a social media post, adding that “active migratory bird nests” are protected by state and federal law.

“Our city’s wildlife deserves protection, and there must be accountability when these protections are violated," Bottcher said.

“That nest was well-known, incredibly well-known, written about widely,” said David Barrett, a Manhattan-based birder who runs the popular social media account, Manhattan Bird Alert. "It should never have happened.”

Barrett said he observed the water tower Thursday and saw that the roof had been removed.

Birds have captivated New Yorkers in the past. Residents have fallen in love with American woodcocks , who are known to stop in Midtown Manhattan’s Bryant Park every year as they migrate north in early spring. After Flaco the Eurasian eagle-owl died in 2024 , dozens of mournful fans gathered to say goodbye to the beloved creature who flew around Manhattan and became a joy to many after someone let him out of his zoo enclosure the previous year. Then there was Pale Male, a red-tailed hawk who nested above Fifth Avenue for three decades before dying in 2023.

Barn owl sightings in New York City parks are very rare, according to the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. New York is at the northern fringe of the barn owl’s range and the barn owl population has declined “at an alarming rate” over time, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

Barn owl fledglings depend on their parents to hunt for them because they don't know how to hunt yet, Wilson said. The fledglings' parents bring them food at their nest. Without the nest, Wilson added, "we’re worried that these barn owl fledglings might not survive.”

Kelety reported from Phoenix.