Woodland Park Zoo's 11-year-old falcon missing — again

A falcon-in-residence at Woodland Park Zoo has flown the coop again, and zoo staff are hoping the public can help find her.

The female bird of prey, an 11-year-old gyrfalcon (pronounced juhr-fall-kon) named Kenai, has been missing since Sunday when she flew from the zoo's Raptor Center during a flight demonstration.

"We're asking anyone who thinks they see the bird to contact the zoo if they spot a large gray bird not common to this area," zoo animal collection manager Helen Shewman said.

The falcon also went missing last March , but was recaptured a few days later .

The bird is a chunky raptor that appears larger than a football when perched, with a gray back and head, dark eyes, a wingspan of about four feet, yellow feet and a hooked beak. Her breast and belly appear very white from a distance.

Zoo staff said the bird was wearing six-inch long white straps, known as jesses, hanging from each leg when it flew off. The bird also may have a thin wire radio antennae hanging on her leg.

The gyrfalcon, born in captivity and bred by a licensed breeder, has been at the zoo since she was 7 weeks old. She is used in zoo educational programs.

Birds from time-to-time fly away during demonstrations, staying away for several hours and sometimes overnight, Shewman said. The birds are not trained to hunt and are used to being fed by zoo keepers.

Shewman said the missing gyrfalcon had been missing once before. Sightings should be reported to the zoo at 206-684-4880.