Bald eagle who cared for "RockBaby" takes over care of orphaned eaglet
A bald eagle who went viral for trying to hatch a rock has taken over the care of an orphaned eaglet at a Missouri bird sanctuary.
Murphy, who's 31, started caring for his rock at World Bird Sanctuary in early March. In a Facebook post, the sanctuary explained that building a nest and nurturing a rock as if it's an egg is a hormonal response to spring.
"Murphy is not hurt, sick, or otherwise in distress," the sanctuary wrote in a sign by Murphy's home. "He has built a nest on the ground, and is very carefully incubating a rock! We wish him the best of luck!"
The bald eagle continued to watch over his "RockBaby" at the Valley Park sanctuary in St. Louis County. On April 4, he and the rock were moved out of the shared eagle enclosure because Murphy was protecting the rock too aggressively, the sanctuary wrote on Facebook.
The sanctuary had also received a bruised and battered orphaned eaglet on April 2. His nest was blown down in a storm. The sanctuary needed to introduce the chick to an adult eagle for fostering. If sanctuary staff continued handling the eagle's feeding, the chick would imprint on a human.
"It was then decided that we would give Murphy a chance at fostering the eaglet," the sanctuary wrote on Facebook. "Murphy's dad instincts were already in high gear, but at 31 years old, he had never raised a chick before. It's definitely a gamble, but also the chick's best chance. BabyRock was removed, and the chick was introduced to his enclosure in the 'baby jail.'"
It’s just too much for the heart to handle. The fact that the chick’s face is blurry is incredibly endearing. That mouth...
Posted by World Bird Sanctuary on Wednesday, April 12, 2023
The eaglet, who had not yet been named, was removed from the "baby jail" on April 13 and has been "bonding beautifully" with Murphy, the sanctuary said. Videos show Murphy waiting for the eaglet to eat.
"When the baby doesn't eat right away, he takes a bit of food, and then the baby begins to eat. This is the kind of bonding we're looking for," the sanctuary wrote. "Murphy is modeling eagle behavior perfectly, and becoming a wonderful, gentle papa."
Over the weekend, a tornado landed close to the sanctuary. All the birds survived, but the eaglet needed to be taken to a hospital for care.
The chick was returned to Murphy on Monday after the nest was fortified and improved. The nest is on the ground because Murphy cannot fly.
"Murphy is just learning how to be a dad, so he isn't perfect yet," World Bird Sanctuary CEO Dawn Griffard said in a Facebook post. "He has lots to learn!"