Ostriches bury their heads in sand
Ostriches do not bury their heads in sand. This ancient myth likely originates from observing ostriches tending to ground-level nests, during which they lower their heads into shallow holes to turn eggs. The behavior looks like head-burying from a distance.
What we know
The ostrich-head-in-sand myth is ancient, attributed to Pliny the Elder in the first century CE, who described ostriches hiding their heads in bushes and assuming they were hidden. The modern version with sand appears to be a later elaboration. Despite its longevity, no scientific observation or field study has ever documented an ostrich burying its head in sand, and the behavior would be biologically nonsensical as it would prevent breathing.
National Geographic Kids and the McGill Office for Science and Society both confirm the behavior is fictional. What observers from a distance might interpret as head-burying is actually nest management: ostriches nest on the ground in shallow sandy depressions, and they periodically lower their heads into the hole to turn and tend eggs. To a distant observer, the head disappearing from view at ground level can look like it is being inserted into sand.
When threatened, ostriches employ real defensive strategies. They can run at speeds up to 70 km/h and deliver powerful kicks with legs capable of killing lions. They may also flatten themselves against the ground to reduce their profile, which at a distance could be mistaken for a head-lowering behavior. Neither of these is the mythologized head-burying.
The Cleveland Zoological Society, National Geographic, and multiple ornithological sources confirm that the myth has no factual foundation in ostrich behavior.
Common claims
- Ostriches bury their heads when scaredFalse - would prevent breathing
- The myth comes from nest-tending behaviorPlausible origin explanation
- Ostriches are defenseless prey animalsFalse - they can kill lions with kicks