No ostrich has ever been observed to bury its head in the sand. It would suffocate if it did. When danger threatens, ostriches run away like any other sensible animal. The myth about ostriches may have arisen because they sometimes lie down in their nest with their necks stretched out flat and scan the horizon for trouble. If the predator gets too close they get up and leg it. The ostrich is the largest bird in the world.

The head-⁠burying myth was first reported by the Roman historian, who also thought ostriches could hatch their eggs by looking at them aggressively. He didn’t mention their ability to swallow odd things. As well as the stones they use to aid digestion, ostriches will eat iron, copper, brick or glass. One ostrich in London Zoo was found to have eaten a metre-⁠length of rope, a spool of film, a watch and a number of coins.