Murphy the Bald Eagle Has a Chick to Mentor After Trying to Hatch a Rock
Rebecca West
Spring has sprung and with it comes mating and nesting behavior in the wild. For the last week or so there's been big news about a bald eagle residing at the World Bird Sanctuary located in Valley Park in St. Louis County. If you're unsure, that's in Missouri. The eagle's name is Murphy, and he's garnered tons of attention for his attempts at hatching a rock in his enclosure.
Sanctuary officials there note that male eagles play a substantial role in raising their young, so Murphy's behavior with his rock was not unusual.
Due to all of the attention he has received, WBS wrote on Facebook, "Although it might make you feel sad that Murphy has built a nest and is nurturing a rock as an egg, it's just his hormonal response to spring. Murphy is not sad, so you don't need to be."
"Murphy does not need a real egg to feel accomplished. He's quite content with his rock, and VERY protective of it," the social media post continued. "After his spring hormones have run their course, he will get bored and move on to other activities," they added.
They also pointed out that Murphy has four roommates, so he couldn't possibly be lonely, and stated, "Our birds are incredibly spoiled. They have absolutely everything they need to live lives as close to normal as possible!"
Now, however, Murphy has gained attention for his latest role, that of mentoring a young eaglet nestling that arrived at the sanctuary just last week. Known as Bald Eagle 23-126, the chick is the first nestling to arrive at the hospital this year and the first eaglet they have received in over eight years.
On April 12 they announced, "Bald Eaglet 23-126 was let out of the baby jail for a full introduction to Murphy yesterday and so far things are going very well! A staff member watched initial interactions through a peep hole to make sure the eaglet was safe. It took Murphy an hour before he approached 23-126 and examined with curiosity."
Later they added, "This morning, Murphy got his chance to be a full parent as 23-126 left the nest to go be closer to Murphy."
They also explained that the enclosure has been rearranged to make sure that the baby can access the spot where the food will come through the blind drop tube, but that they were "absolutely thrilled that Murphy has chosen to feed" and that "From this point on, we will be as hands off as possible to allow maximum bonding between Murphy and 23-126 and as natural of an upbringing as can be managed in a rehabilitation setting."
You can keep tabs on the two by visiting their Facebook page or learn more about the organization on their website. In the meantime, check out the video below.
