Manhattan’s Upper West Side Water Tower Roof Removed, Endangering Rare Barn Owl Family

On Thursday, October 29, 2026, the roof of a water tower on West 75th Street, between Columbus and Central Park West, was taken off. The tower had been the nesting site of a family of American barn owls—the first documented breeding pair in Manhattan’s modern history. Video captured a worker with a broom on the exposed beams, and no owls were seen after the roof’s removal.

Upper West Side Barn Owls’ Water Tower Home Loses its Roof Roof of a water tower in Manhattan where a rare family of barn owls nested removed KTVT - Dallas - Fort Worth News

Barn owls (Tyto alba) are extremely rare in New York City, which sits at the northern edge of the species’ range. Prior to this discovery, urban birds such as Flaco the Eurasian eagle-owl and Pale Male the red-tailed hawk attracted public attention, but no confirmed breeding barn-owl nest had been recorded in Manhattan.

Roof of a water tower in Manhattan where a rare family of barn owls nested removed

• Adults: Two barn owls observed at the tower.

Roof of a water tower in Manhattan where a rare family of barn owls nested removed

• Fledglings: Reports vary between five and six.

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• Historical rarity: Experts say no breeding barn owl has been documented in Manhattan for roughly 175 years.

Roof of a water tower in Manhattan where a rare family of barn owls nested removed

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) investigated, confirmed the roof’s removal, and instructed the building’s owner/management to halt any demolition until the investigation concludes. DEC officials reiterated that active nests of migratory birds are protected under federal and state law, making unauthorized disturbance a potential wildlife violation.

Roof of a water tower in Manhattan where a rare family of barn owls nested removed

The building’s superintendent declined to comment.

Roof of a water tower in Manhattan where a rare family of barn owls nested removed

• Responsibility: No source identified who ordered or performed the roof removal; the superintendent offered no explanation.

Upper West Side Barn Owls’ Water Tower Home Loses its Roof

• Fledgling count: Some observers report five fledglings, others “five or six.”

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• Current owl status: It is unknown whether the adult owls and any fledglings remain in the tower or have relocated.

ABC7 New York

• “It had been disturbed from the nest,” — Jessica Wilson, executive director, NYC Bird Alliance

Roof of a water tower in Manhattan where a rare family of barn owls nested removed

• “That nest was well-known, incredibly well-known, written about widely,” — David Barrett

Roof of a water tower in Manhattan where a rare family of barn owls nested removed

• “The destruction of a nest constitutes a wildlife crime,” — Jessica Wilson, NYC Bird Alliance

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• “Such a disappointing and deeply concerning turn of events!” — Jacqueline Emery

Upper West Side Barn Owls’ Water Tower Home Loses its Roof

• “We know that in the recorded history, which is a century and a half, maybe 175 years, that there's been no known breeding of the species in Manhattan,” — Andrew Farnsworth, migration ecologist, Cornell Lab of Ornithology

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