Do ostriches really bury their heads in the sand?

Question

Or is it just a myth? Has anyone seen this in real life or through the eyes of David Attenborough (whose opinion I trust and respect on such issues)

Answer 1

This comes from the supposed habit of ostriches hiding when faced with attack by predators. The story was first recorded by the Roman writer Pliny the Elder, who suggested that ostriches hide their heads in bushes. Ostriches don't hide, either in bushes or sand, although they do sometimes lie on the ground to make themselves inconspicuous. The 'burying their head in the sand' myth is likely to have originated from people observing them lowering their heads when feeding.

The story also relies on the supposed stupidity of ostriches, and of birds in general. In fact, there's little to support that either as birds have a significantly larger brain to weight ratio than many other species of animal. The notion is that the supposedly dumb ostrich believes that if it can't see its attacker then the attacker can't see it. This was nicely reformed as a joke on Douglas Adams' 'Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy', in which the 'Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal' was described as 'so mind-bogglingly stupid that it assumes that if you can't see it, then it can't see you.'

Found this here: http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/80800.html

Answer 2

No! We used to raise ostriches and we just recently donated our last three to lazy five ranch. I practically grew up with them and yes, this is a myth. When they sleep, they lay down and stretch their necks all the way out on the ground and from a distance, yes it does look like their heads are buried but they are really not.

Answer 3

Ivor is talking nonsense as there are no ostriches in Ozzy land but in Africa.
in any case, they doesn't do that.
they lower their heads to their nest in a sand pit on the ground and turn the eggs. from afar it looks like they're bury their heads in.
this is all a myth. they are very vigilant birds.

Answer 4

They don't exactly bury their necks. When they do that, they are just picking up gravel to eat.Ostriches eat gravel to digest the food in their stomach.What I say is true.It is!I have even read in a biology book.

Answer 5

No they put there head on the sand

Answer 6

yes they do you can go online and ask

Answer 7

yes they do. i have seen them do it.