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Adorable, Ominous Owl Found Tucked Into Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree
By
Jen Carlson
Published Nov 18, 2020
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Nov 18, 2020
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On Tuesday morning, as New Yorkers brutally criticized the 2020 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree for being too scrappy, the tree revealed a secret: a tiny owl.
An adorable offering to its critics... or an omen? As we know from the Twin Peaks universe, owls are not only not what they seem, but they signal supernatural dangers. And David Lynch didn't just make that up during a late night coffee bender — owls have long been seen as "bad omens and harbingers of death." So our best guess at this time is that the owl formed and grew larger every single time someone smashed the RT button on this tweet:
Way to go, now we've got a supernatural owl on our hands.
For now, the owl — nicknamed Rockefeller — and its powers are being contained at the Ravensbeard Wildlife Center in Saugerties, New York. A spokesperson for Ravensbeard told Gothamist on Wednesday "the owl was discovered by a worker who was putting the tree up in Rockefeller Center. It was inside the wrapped up tree and had been there for three whole days without food or water before it was discovered by this worker and brought to us."
Details are scant beyond that, as expected with the supernatural, but it likely formed with the purpose of revenge.
The owl is (or has replicated the look of) a Northern Saw-whet Owl, which local bird expert David Barrett tells us is "the smallest owl that regularly visits the New York City area." He refused to comment on whether owls in general could be seen as bad omens, brushing that idea off as "mythology."
The owl is rescued but it is not what it seems
Up at Ravensbeard they have "given him fluids and are feeding him all the mice he will eat," and now report that "his eyes are bright." And probably laser-focused on avenging the tree.
When the vet clears him, they say he will be immediately released.
Ravensbeard Wildlife Center
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rockefeller center christmas tree
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Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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