Rare endangered bird on the run after zoo escape in Washington state

SEATTLE -- In Washington state, it wasn't a flock of seagulls that ran so far away, but a single rare bird that managed to sneak out of her habitat at a zoo outside of Seattle.

And on Friday morning, as the search intensifies, the zoo is making a special request to the public if anyone should spot her.

The juvenile East African Crowned Crane escaped its enclosure at the Cougar Mountain Zoo earlier this week.

"This is the biggest thing since the zebras got loose at North Bend," said Lake Sammamish paddleboarder Tim Hoffman.

Zoo officials say it was last spotted on Thursday morning around Lake Sammamish State Park and flew east.

"They're beautiful, and they can fly, so I don't know how you keep them in a zoo," said park walker Neeta Moonka.

"They called them 'Phyllis Diller birds' years ago, the first time I saw them, because of the hair," said Art Charity, another park walker.

Charity used to live in Africa and says that's what Americans called these cranes, since their crown resembles the hairstyle of the late Phyllis Diller.

Everyone is on the lookout, but there's no luck finding the rare crane yet.

"Lots of eagles, but no cranes," Hoffman said.

Two years ago, Flaco the owl became a celebrity in New York City, evading capture for more than a year after a group of vandals left a hole in Flaco's enclosure at the Central Park Zoo.

As for Washington's missing crane, zoo officials warned not to approach her and to notify the zoo immediately.

The zoo says she was last seen hanging out with a group of wild Great Blue Herons.