A Male Bald Eagle That Was Trying To Hatch A Rock Has Been Given A Chick To Raise

A permanently injured bald eagle who can't fly is living out the rest of his days at a bird sanctuary in Missouri.

Last month, one of his caretakers at World Bird Sanctuary (WBS) noticed something odd. Keeper Kerstin saw Murphy the eagle protecting a large depression in the ground. The spot was sparsely but carefully decorated with leaves and branches, and featured a simple rock right in the center.

Later that day, Keeper Kerstin saw Murphy sitting on the rock as if it were an egg, and he continued to do so day after day. Male bald eagles take an equal part in raising young, so this is very natural behavior for a male.

"Every so often he rearranges the sticks in his nest, and cackles at any other eagles that come too close. We wish Murphy all the luck in the world, but we're not telling him the reality of the situation," the nonprofit wrote on Facebook. "We have yet to see a rock hatch!"