Murphy, the beloved bald eagle who tried to hatch a rock, has died

Murphy, the bald eagle who delighted the world by trying to hatch a rock before becoming an orphaned bird’s foster dad, died this month. He was 33.

On March 18, the World Bird Sanctuary in Valley Park, Missouri, said it was “heartbroken” that its bald eagle and “extraordinary foster dad” was found dead in his aviary on March 15. A veterinarian’s examination revealed Murphy had sustained head trauma, which the sanctuary said may have been related to tornadoes and other storms that had hit the St. Louis area the night before. An EF2 tornado caused widespread damage to buildings, trees and power lines along its 30-mile path.

“His resilience, spirit, and dedication as a foster dad touched the hearts of millions of people throughout the world,” the sanctuary said on social media, adding that bald eagles typically live 20 to 25 years.

Murphy came to the sanctuary in the mid-1990s with a broken leg, which veterinarians treated before releasing him. But he soon returned with a broken wing, prompting staff to determine he had suffered permanent damage that rendered him incapable of flying or surviving in the wild.

He spent the next roughly 30 years at the sanctuary.

In 2023, visitors noticed Murphy sitting in one spot – hardly moving – day after day. Their concerns prompted sanctuary staff to post a sign next to his enclosure: “Murphy is not hurt, sick, or otherwise in distress. He has built a nest on the ground, and is very carefully incubating a rock. We wish him the best of luck!”

After the sign was posted to social media, Murphy developed an international fan base as supporters tracked his futile effort. The rock never hatched, but the serendipitous arrival of an injured eaglet gave him a chance to become a foster father of sorts.

Over the following several months, Murphy took the eaglet, who was quickly nicknamed Rocky, under his wing, sanctuary Executive Director Roger Holloway said. He tore the chick’s meat into smaller pieces, allowed him into his territory and let him watch as Murphy did eagle things.

“He had to just go through his normal routine and that set an example, made sure that eaglet knew it was a bald eagle and remained a wild bird,” Holloway said.

About 500 people watched in person as the sanctuary released Rocky into the wild on July 7, 2023, he added.

A second eaglet arrived last April, and Murphy mentored it as well. The sanctuary hopes to release it in a few months.

Since word of Murphy’s death spread, hundreds of people have sent cards, letters, emails and social media posts about what he meant to them. Many of them center on acceptance of life’s circumstances and not giving up, even if that means adjusting expectations.

Murphy wanted to be a dad but he didn’t have a mate to make that happen. So he improvised.

“He made his own egg,” Holloway said. “He made his own way of doing it.”