Well, last time we reported on a male bald eagle that continued to warm up the stones it picked up, thinking they were eggs , but it seems like there has been some progress since then.
Murphy, a bald eagle, is blind in one eye and cannot be released back into the wild, so he lives at a bird sanctuary called the World Bird Sanctuary in Missouri, USA.
Meanwhile, a bald eagle chick that was blown from its nest by strong winds was rescued at a facility. So the staff decided to give Murphy the chance to raise a real baby.
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His instinct for raising children was not lost. The staff members were constantly checking on the chicks to make sure they were safe, and Murphy began to take care of them diligently.
It’s not unusual for bald eagles to use rocks instead of eggs.
The staff watched over the baby, thinking it would eventually stop, but Murphy continued to hold on to the baby, trying to hatch it as if he was protecting his own child.
A male bald eagle thinks a stone is an egg and desperately heats it to make it hatch.
Wow everyone! We are absolutely blown away by the support being shown for Murphy and eaglet 23-126 through our fundraiser and Amazon baby registry. We wanted to take a moment to address the topic of camera footage of these two. pic.twitter.com/NOklF7YFbD
— World Bird Sanctuary (@WBSSTL) April 13, 2023
Unfortunately, one of the birds didn’t survive, but the other one made it to the facility where Murphy lives.
When Murphy wasn’t watching, she carefully removed the stones from the nest and placed the chicks in Murphy’s enclosure.
Murphy has no previous experience raising children other than warming rocks. How will they react to the chicks? Staff monitored them 24 hours a day through a peephole.
Murphy spent about an hour observing the chick to figure out what it was. I could tell you were definitely interested.
But on this day, Murphy just watched and took no action.
Murphy has changed! Start taking care of the chicks
However, the next day, a dramatic change occurred. When the chicks left the nest and approached Murphy, Murphy began to act like a parent, feeding them and preening their feathers.
The chicks also believe that Murphy is their parent and are actively trying to communicate with him through vocalizations.
In order to strengthen the bond between Murphy and the chicks, the staff say they keep an eye on them and try not to touch them directly as much as possible.
It seems Murphy’s parenting instincts were genuine. Although it does not have a female companion, it is said that it takes care of the chicks by itself.
Murphy teaches Hina what it takes to become an adult. Hina, who was an orphan, also adores Murphy, and their bond seems to be developing smoothly.
World Bird Sanctuary’s Facebook and Twitter , so be sure to check it out. The future status of Murphy and his chick will be updated on