Four baby ravens were born at the Tower of London last month.
Last month, on April 23, proud parents Huginn and Muninn welcomed four healthy chicks into the world. They’re the first ravens to hatch at the Tower since 1989.
Legend has it that if the six resident ravens ever leave the Tower of London, the kingdom will fall. There are actually seven ravens currently residing at the landmark—plus these newborns—so it looks like the kingdom is safe.
The conceiving duo first arrived at the Tower last year, and it was in mid April that the Tower’s Ravenmaster Chris Skaife noticed that they’d built a large nest. Of course it wasn’t long before he heard chirping chicks!
They’ve grown extremely fast; from 8cm hatchlings just a few weeks ago, to 30cm tall toddlers—you can even see their shiny black feathers coming through! They’re currently feeding at least every two hours; feasting on a diet of quail, mice and rats, all provided by the Ravenmaster. Huginn, the father, prepares the food before passing it to Muninn who feeds the chicks.
As they were born on St George’s Day, they’re planning to name one of the chicks George or Georgina (shortened to ‘Georgie’, I hope — I’d quite like a raven namesake) and it will stay at the Tower. It will then join the others in the summer, when it’s a bit older.
Here’s Chris Skaife sharing the good news:
Also published on Medium.