Human Ostrichs are those performers who can eat glass, tacks, razor blades, etc.– i.e. items that would injure normal human beings if they ate them.

The name human ostrich derives from historical inaccuracies, the African bird’s natural proclivity to swallow small stones to aid in digestion, and observation of these remarkable avians in captivity.

Medieval bestiaries depicted ostriches eating iron, contributing to the belief that they could digest anything. In captivity, ostriches have been observed swallowing all kinds of small objects– from keys to alarm clocks.

Although they are related to Regurgitators, Human Ostrichs often do not regurgitate but swallow and digest their otherwise unpalatable meals. That said, there is a fine line (lining) between stomachs that digest and stomachs that express the indigestible.