History Main / OstrichHeadHiding

* ''Disney/{{Dumbo}}''. During the ''Baby Be Mine'' segment the camera shows a shot of the circus animals taking a rest at night, including a mother ostrich and her two baby birds, sticking their heads underneath the sand.

In reality, [[ArtisticLicenseBiology ostriches don't put their head underneath the sand]]. Such a scenario would leave them sitting duck for predators. Just like any other animal, they will run away whenever they assume danger. Logical too, seeing that they have long, strong legs that can run over 40 miles per hour, making it extremely difficult for predators to catch them (and if they are caught those same legs can deliver deadly kicks). When they sleep they just sit down on the ground like other birds do. The ''head burying in the sand'' image is likely a perception derived from humans watching the birds from a distance and seeing them reach their long necks down to the ground to search for food or to manage their nests.

* Played for dark comedy in Creator/JamesThurber's fable "Oliver and the Other Ostriches." Oliver attends an ostrich lecture where a leading ostrich tells them that they are superior to other species because they are intelligent enough to hide their heads. Oliver tries to comment that other species have good qualities too, but the ostriches will have none of it-- and then they promptly get interrupted by an elephant stampede. All the ostriches are flattened except Oliver, who is intelligent enough to run away.

* Deconstructed in ''WesternAnimation/TheLionGuard''. In "Bunga The Wise," Bunga tells an ostrich who's scared of hyenas to hide her head in the ground to avoid seeing them. When the rest of the Lion Guard see her doing this, they point out that ostriches don't actually do such a thing. After they help the ostrich to pull her stuck head out, she complains about how hard it is to breathe down there.

* In ''WesternAnimation/IceAge3DawnOfTheDinosaurs'', a mother ''[[UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLifeBirds Gastornis]]'' hides her head in the ground as she gets startled by a ''TyrannosaurusRex''. Her chick attempts to do the same, but the ground is too hard, so the chick knocks itself out.

In reality, [[ArtisticLicenseBiology ostriches don't put their head underneath the sand]]. Just like any other animal, they will run away whenever they assume danger. Logical too, seeing that they have long, strong legs that can run over 40 miles per hour, making it extremely difficult for predators to catch them (and if they are caught those same legs can deliver deadly kicks). When they sleep they just sit down on the ground like other birds do. The ''head burying in the sand'' image is likely a perception derived from humans watching the birds from a distance and seeing them reach their long necks down to the ground to search for food or to manage their nests.

In reality, [[ArtisticLicenseBiology ostriches don't put their head underneath the sand]]. Just like any other animal, they will run away whenever they assume danger. Logical too, seeing that they have long, strong legs that can run over 40 miles per hour, making it extremely difficult for predators to catch them. When they sleep they just sit down on the ground like other birds do. The ''head burying in the sand'' image is likely a perception derived from humans watching the birds from a distance and seeing them reach their long necks down to the ground to search for food or to manage their nests.

* A 1930s WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse comic strip had Mickey join a race to win money. As everybody was allowed to bring their own manner of transport Mickey used his pet ostrich to ride on. During the race the animal suddenly gets scared and sticks its head under the ground, so Mickey has think up a way to make the animal stop doing this.

* The Music/FlandersAndSwann song "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-S4q41dQRyc The Ostrich]]": Flanders sings the chorus as the ostrich, determinedly sticking his head in the sand despite Swann's increasingly urgent warnings.

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* ''Film/BedknobsAndBroomsticks''. During the soccer match the ostrich buries its head underneath the sand, but is kicked against his behind soon afterwards, causing him to tumble forwards and fall on its behind.

* In ''ScoobyDooAndTheLegendOfTheVampire'', Scooby and Shaggy do this to evade the wrath of an emu.

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* The ''WesternAnimation/SillySymphonies'' cartoon ''[[WesternAnimation/SillySymphonies The China Shop]]'': An ostrich figurine sticks its head into the base it is standing on when the [[FaunsAndSatyrs Stayr]] starts throwing dishes. Its exposed legs and neck are promptly sliced through by a plate and it reassembles into a shorter bird.

* ''Disney/{{Dumbo}}''. During the ''Baby Be Mine'' segment the camera shows a shot of the circus animals taking a rest at night, including a mother ostrich and her two baby birds, sticking their heads underneath the sand.

In reality, [[ArtisticLicenseBiology ostriches don't put their head underneath the sand]]. Just like any other animal, they will just run away whenever they assume danger. Logical too, seeing that they have long, strong legs that can run over 40 miles per hour, making it extremely difficult for predators to catch them. When they sleep they just sit down on the ground like other birds do. The ''head burying in the sand'' image is likely a perception derived from humans watching the birds from a distance and seeing them reach their long necks down to the ground to search for food or to manage their nests.

* In the Kaufman and Hart play ''Theatre/MerrilyWeRollAlong'', the grotesquely old-fashioned Mrs. Riley complains about the title of a play her daughter is starring in (in 1923), and her son-in-law tries to explain its significance:
-->'''Mrs. Riley''': What the hell was it all about, will you tell me that? What did the name mean? "The Ostrich." Wasn't a God-damn bird in it.
-->'''Harry''': Well, the whole idea is--people afraid to face things. Sticking your head in the sand.
-->'''Mrs. Riley''': Well, why didn't they come out and say so?

* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark''. In ''Cartoon Wars'' the citizens are so frightened of ''Family Guy'' showing TheProphetMuhammad and the reactions this will create in the Muslim world that they decide to use the ''ostrich tactic'' by burying their heads underneath the sand.

* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/PenguinsOfMadagascar'' had an ostrich that gets her head stuck in concrete, alluding the "ostrich with its head in the ground" pose. This gets lampshaded by the characters.

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ostrich_6615.jpg]]

In reality, [[ArtisticLicenseBiology ostriches don't put their head underneath the sand]]. Just like any other animal, will just run away whenever they assume danger. Logical too, seeing that they have long, strong legs that can make it extremely difficult for predators to catch up with them. When they sleep they just sit down on the ground like other birds do. The ''head burying in the sand'' image is likely a perception derived from humans watching the birds from a distance and seeing them reach their long necks down to the ground to search for food or to manage their nests.

** Example: A 1941 political cartoon by Creator/DrSeuss (yes, ''that'' Dr. Seuss) portrayed American isolationists as ostriches with their heads buried, blissfully ignoring [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII the impending war]].

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* Creator/RobertCrumb's final ''ComicStrip/FritzTheCat'' story shows Fritz dating an ostrich girlfriend who sticks her head underneath a bunch of pillows inside Fritz' house. He tries to get laid with her, but she refuses to move, so he kicks her in the behind and leaves. Out of revenge she murders him with an icepick in the head.