A bald eagle named Murphy, who cannot fly, once went viral on the internet for trying to hatch a stone. Now, it is making headlines again but this time for nurturing a young hawk and eventually releasing it back into the wild.
Murphy was born in 1992 at a facility in Oklahoma, USA, and was later sent to the World Bird Sanctuary in Missouri due to injuries that prevented it from flying. Therefore, it couldn’t be released into the wild and had to stay at the sanctuary.
In March 2023, Murphy started spending most of its time lying in a corner of the exhibit. One day, a keeper noticed a stone beneath Murphy and territorial behavior. Surprisingly, sanctuary staff found Murphy trying to incubate the stone.
Roger Holloway, the executive director who has worked at the sanctuary for 36 years, told the Epoch Times that it’s not uncommon for eagles to exhibit this behavior in warmer months. Even if they don’t lay eggs, the hormonal surge in the spring makes them think about breeding and hatching.
Shortly after trying to hatch the stone, Murphy nurtured a young hawk identified as 23-126 for two months. The young hawk then spent a month in a flight cage with other eagles for rehabilitation before being successfully released on July 7, 2023.
In mid-April 2024, an injured young hawk with the tag 24-159 was found in Illinois. The sanctuary explained on Facebook that the nest of 24-159 had fallen into a thicket, resulting in fractures in its left ulna, humerus, and coracoid bones. Due to its multiple injuries, returning it to the nest wasn’t possible, leading to the decision of placing it in Murphy’s enclosure.
Staff were confident that Murphy was eager to become a foster parent once again. Indeed, it was prepared and willing to take the young hawk under its wing.
A Facebook post by the sanctuary mentioned that initially Murphy seemed uninterested in 24-159, but upon further observation, Murphy had moved to the edge of the nest.
Mr. Holloway explained, “Murphy is very protective of 24-159, allowing the young hawk to eat first whenever there is food available.”
The young hawk has started to regard Murphy as a father figure. Since early May last year, 24-159 has been following Murphy around. It sleeps, eats, and preens its feathers closest to Murphy.
Although Murphy may sometimes seem weary of always having 24-159 by its side, it still enjoys the company of the young hawk.
“We believe parents everywhere can relate,” the sanctuary wrote in another Facebook post.
Murphy and 24-159 have been together for five weeks now.
Mr. Holloway disclosed that the next significant step is to introduce the young hawk to the flight cage and observe its response. Additionally, a research team will evaluate the healing of the hawk’s wing bones and its ability to fully extend its wings before determining the release date.
Both young hawks nurtured by Murphy have gained fame online, and the sanctuary staff are delighted to see all the positive feedback.
“We are really excited that Murphy has so many fans wanting to know about it. Generating interest, getting people interested in wildlife, that’s what we want to do. So, Murphy is a great example,” Mr. Holloway stated.
Hoping that 24-159 won’t be the last hawk Murphy fosters, the World Bird Sanctuary aims to have Murphy nurture more young hawks in the upcoming years and eventually release them back into the wild.