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One of the iconic ravens that shack in theTower of Londonis overleap , and official fear the worst . Will the tower accrue , as legend monish ? ( Probably not . )
Merlina , a female raven ( Corvus corax ) , joined the corvid residential area at the tugboat in 2007 , and has reigned since then as " the swayer of the roost , " tugboat representativestweetedin a thread on Jan. 13 .
Merlina, seen here in happier times.
But Merlina , one of seven purple raven in the tower , has been missing for several weeks , " and her continued absence indicate to us that she may have sadly passed away , " representatives write inone of the tweet .
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The Tower of London , in the United Kingdom , is a high-minded fort built by William the Conqueror ; he begin its building in the 1070s , and other monarchs further enlarged and reinforce the building , grant to the U.K. websiteHistoric Royal Palaces(HRP ) . Inside its fortified walls , Britain ’s kings and fag have imprisoned double-crosser to the crown ; staged executions ; stockpiled artillery ; and hoarded precious gem .
They also created a home there for a small group of ravens ( the birds have been known conjointly as " an unkindness " since at least 1486 , when the full term was published in " The Book of St. Albans , " harmonize toMerriam - Webster ) . Lore date to the days or Charles II — King of Scotland , England and Ireland from 1660 to 1685 — states that six ravens must experience in the tower at all times , and " the crown and the Tower itself would flow if they left , " harmonise to HRP .
Today , there are seven Corvus corax reside there ; six " prescribed " birds , and one spare , HRP articulate . Merlina , along with Erin , Grip , Harris , Jubilee and Poppy , occupied lodgings in the Tower ’s South Lawn ( the so - called supernumerary raven is not named on the HRP site ) . One of the Tower guard , known as a Beefeater or a Yeoman Warder , is also the designated Ravenmaster , tasked with care for the birds . Christopher Skaife is the current Ravenmaster , feeding his charges blood - plume dog biscuit " as a special treat ; " settling flock - base feuds ; and foiling escape endeavor , the Audubon Societywrote in a profile in 2018 .
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Merlina was " a complimentary - gritty raven , " and she went miss around Christmastime , Skaifetold BBC Newson Jan. 14 . plume in the wings of Tower raven are regularly reduce to keep the birds cheeseparing to home , though the birds are still capable to fly short distances . Despite these precautions , some of the more adventurous ravens still manage to stray too far , HRP representatives say .
" There is a longsighted and storied history of the ravens being spotted out and about around the local area , including a pair who used to nest at St Paul ’s Cathedral , " HRP representatives told Live Science in an electronic mail . " In 2011 , one of the current ravens — Munin — make as far as Greenwich [ 5 mil or 8 kilometers from London ] , before being devolve a week later . However , the ravens generally pick out to stay at the Tower , where they are incredibly well - fed and cared for by the Ravenmaster and his squad , " they suppose .
Sadly , Merlina ’s prolonged absence hint that the long - stand " queen " will return home nevermore .
" She will be greatly missed by her fellow ravens , the Ravenmaster and all of us in the Tower community , " tower illustration tweeted .
Originally published on Live Science .
