First Fledgling Ravens in Tower of London in 30 Years

This terrible scenario looks unlikely to come true soon. At least seven ravens (the corvid equivalent of “heir plus a spare”) are in the Tower. Since Ronald Raven’s birth in 1989, four healthy chicks have been born this week, according to the government. According to Jack Hardy of The Telegraph, fewer legal raven breeders in the UK were producing chicks last year, so Tower staff built a new aviary. Tower ravens eat outside of London and are brought there.

Somerset, Surrey, and South Wales are the birthplaces of the seven corvids in the Tower. They decided to breed ravens to secure their future, according to Tower Ravenmaster Chris Skaife in a video posted on Twitter. The parents of the young chicks, Huginn and Muninn, arrived at the Tower aviary late. However, it wasn’t anticipated that they would settle down in time for the breeding season.  At birth, each of the four grew by 8 centimeters, reaching 30 centimeters last week.

The remaining three, according to Metro’s Kate Buck, will be given to a Somerset breeder. Tower ravens have a longer life than wild ravens. One corvid, which guards the Tower and other historical sites, lived from 1884 to 1928, according to Historic Royal Palaces. Ravens currently eat raw meat, weekly eggs, and sometimes rare rabbit.