ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — Murphy the Eagle is expanding his family once again.
Last month, the World Bird Sanctuary noticed Murphy protecting a rock inside a large depression in the ground. He was seen sitting on the rock as if it were an egg, but now, he is putting those nurturing instincts to use.
In a Facebook post, the World Bird Sanctuary said Murphy was introduced to an eaglet that they are working to nurse back to health. The eaglet was released from "baby jail" this week, and Murphy had a chance to start the bonding process.
Things started slowly with Murphy taking an hour to approach the eaglet, which the World Bird Sanctuary is calling Bald Eaglet 23-126.
Workers watched the initial developments through a peephole to make sure the eaglet was safe, but they missed the biggest breakthrough the next morning.
The post said the eaglet left its nest to get closer to Murphy. The eaglet could not get back to the nest, where he was being fed through a blind drop, but the baby had a full belly.
The post said that meant Murphy fed the eaglet with some of his whole fish, a large milestone in the bonding process between the birds.
The World Bird Sanctuary's Wildlife Hospital received the eaglet that was rescued near Ste. Genevieve after its nest was blown down by high winds. The eaglet was estimated to be about 14 days old and was given a good prognosis after some evaluation, according to the sanctuary.
Murphy was given a chance to foster the eaglet, even though in his 31 years he had never done so before. Keepers removed RockBaby and introduced the chick to his enclosure using a "baby jail."
In the most recent post, the sanctuary addressed some of the most common questions surrounding the new pair.
Many have asked about a live stream similar to others around the country, but the sanctuary said they would not be able to launch a live stream because they can't get a good enough signal.
They also said why the eaglet doesn't have a more typical name.
"We do not name our wildlife for superstitious reasons!" the post said. "The rehab superstition is that named patients are cursed and either end up dying or being non-releasable."
