Remembering Murphy, the Famous Bald Eagle Who Tried to Hatch a Rock
You probably remember hearing about Murphy, the bald eagle from Missouri. Stories about him first attracted attention when he spent weeks trying to incubate a rock. What began as puzzling to staff eventually went viral online and drew millions of curious readers.
Murphy’s unusual drive turned into a more meaningful story when he later raised an orphaned chick. This is why his loss in 2025 after a severe storm in Missouri closed a remarkable chapter.
Yet the memory of his persistence and care still carries weight in conversations about wildlife and instinct.
Injuries Defined His Life in Captivity
Murphy ended up at the World Bird Sanctuary in Valley Park, Missouri, when it became impossible for him to survive in the wild after an early injury in Oklahoma. His leg healed quickly, but a broken wing meant permanent damage. That injury kept him grounded for life, unable to return to flight or migration. He lived at the sanctuary for more than thirty years and shared aviaries with other non-releasable birds of prey.
A Rock Became His Focus in 2023
In the spring of 2023, Murphy’s nesting instincts kicked in, and he started arranging twigs and grass around his space. Then he singled out one object—a rock—and treated it like the egg he never had. He sat over it for long stretches, guarding it with a seriousness that startled his keepers. When other eagles or even staff got too close, Murphy charged at them, determined to protect what he had claimed.
His level of aggression surprised keepers, who had never seen him so dedicated to an object. Visitors grew curious, and workers put up signs explaining the odd sight to prevent misunderstanding. The behavior didn’t fade with time, so the sanctuary moved him into his own enclosure.
Not long after Murphy settled with his “rock baby,” storms in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, knocked an eagle nest out of a tree. One eaglet survived, injured but viable, and needed a safe place. The sanctuary team saw Murphy’s intense nesting behavior and decided he might succeed as a foster parent.
At first, the eaglet stayed inside a small cage within Murphy’s enclosure, giving him a chance to watch without any risk. The staff worried he might lash out or turn away, but instead, he leaned in with curiosity.
Within days, he began responding to the chick’s vocalizations. After a week, keepers removed the cage, and Murphy accepted his new role naturally. The transition from rock to eaglet became a turning point that changed his reputation from curiosity to celebrated foster father.
Feeding and Protection Came Naturally
Image via iStockphoto/BrianEKushner
Once the eaglet stayed loose in his enclosure, Murphy demonstrated parental impulses beyond expectation. When offered a whole fish for himself and smaller pieces for the chick, Murphy tore apart his portion and fed it directly to the youngster.
Caretakers later checked food dishes and found the chick’s untouched, but its crop full, which proved that Murphy had handled the feeding. Observers saw the eaglet begin to imitate his grooming and daily movements, an important step in healthy development.
While Murphy could not teach hunting or flight, his devotion gave the bird a chance at independence, and the story drew national attention across social media platforms.