Rogue Chicken Roams Riverside Park On The UWS

UPPER WEST SIDE, MANHATTAN — Another bird is causing a buzz — or should we say a cluck — around Riverside Park this week.

A lone chicken was spotted hanging out on the rocks at the waterfront park near West 84th Street on Monday and Tuesday, just a week after abald eagle was spotted perched on a park tree several blocks north.

The chicken was seen by Matthieu Garcia, who sent photos of the bird to the West Side Rag after spotting it while walking his dogs.

Garcia said the chicken didn't appear to be with an owner and seemed to be relaxed observing the dogs from its perch. He spotted the bird Monday and again on Tuesday morning.

“She seemed very calm and just watched from the rocks,” Garcia told the Rag.

It is not the first time a chicken has found its way to Riverside Park, according to the conservancy.

There have been 10 chickens and 1 Muscovy duck in the past three years found in the waterfront park, conservancy staff said. Those birds were either brought to the Wild Bird Fund, the ASPCA or to a farm run by one of the park employees.

This week's rogue hen comes after a bald eagle spotted at Riverside last week and the news of coyotes in Manhattan's parks, including weekly sightings of the animals in Central Park.

The animal sightings had New Yorkers buzzing online.

"Nature is reclaiming the city," one person said on the chicken post. "It has begun."

Others were less phased by the news, adding that they have seen chickens roaming near the Cross Bronx Expressway or in Harlem's St. Nicholas Park.

The bald eagle and coyote sightings were also far from the first time the wild animals were spotted in New York City.

Riverside Park's bald eagle was seen by Riverside Park Conservancy gardeners last week and by parkgoers as far back as New Year's Day. Conservancy staff said bald eagles — which were once endangered but have rebounded in recent years — are typically seen soaring over the park every few years.

Coyotes have also been present in New York City for decades, according to the city's Parks Department.

The animals are more common in outer boroughs such as the Bronx and Queens, but have recently showed up in Central Park and in Inwood Hill Park.

There had been 36 coyote sightings reported in Manhattan as of Dec. 15, officials said at the time one was spotted in Central Park late last year. Multiple reports may be related to the same animal, according to a city Parks Department spokesperson.

Check out pictures of the Riverside Park chicken and the full West Side Rag story here.