The Animal Crossing franchise has been known for its incorporation of adorable villager companions since its first game. There are a variety of different animal species that can live in player’s islands in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, one of which is the ostrich. In New Horizons, there are ten different ostriches that can live on the player’s island.
With any game that allows players to pick companions, or in this case villagers, there are bound to be opinions about which animals are the best to keep around and which should be avoided. Many go so far as to construct their own Animal Crossing: New Horizons villager tier list, but in terms of a single villager type, here are the best and worst ostriches in Animal Crossing: New Horizons in no particular order.
Updated December 5, 2022, by Jerrad Wyche: Animal Crossing: New Horizons continues to be a game that players return to on their Nintendo Switch as it provides relaxing vibes. Between the self-expression players can showcase and the ability to take things on at a particular pace, there's a reason Animal Crossing as a series has remained a mainstay. There are dozens of animal villagers to choose from when populating an island, but among the large ostrich folk, it's important to know who is worth pursuing. The last major update for Animal Crossing: New Horizons came in November of 2021 and was labeled 2.0, which was released alongside the paid DLC for the game titled Happy Home Paradise. This update added the character Kapp'n, new shops, Gyroids, additional storage and so much more.
8 Cranston
Cranston is a lazy crested ibis, and one of the few male ostriches found in Animal Crossing. Unfortunately, those are the only interesting things about him. He’s not the worst because he’s mean—he’s just a bit forgettable and a little strange.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with him, but when there are other, better ostriches available to have around for the Halloween update, the choice is clear that Cranston should be one of the first to go. His glaring yellow eyes can be a bit much at times, but at least everyone knows someone is a keen observer on the island.
7 Queenie
Some snooty villagers can still be enjoyable residents of Animal Crossing: New Horizons' island and Queenie is one such case. She’s one of the few “ostriches” that’s actually modeled after the real animal—if they were purple, in this case. Though she’s one of the original ostriches in the Animal Crossing franchise, she just tends to be rude sometimes, but it never feels like it's intentional.
It also helps that Queenie sports an adorable display of violet feathers that go along nicely with her purple hair and rosy cheeks. Snooty villagers may not always be the most optimistic or instill happiness in others, but their presence creates a well-rounded community.
6 Phil
Though Phil’s smug personality should mean he gets along well with many other villagers in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, that’s typically not the case. His design is inspired by the ring-necked pheasant. Phil seems like he would be a cool and interesting addition to players’ islands, but he can prove himself to be an unpleasant nuisance for those who are easily offended.
Players should avoid adding him to their island unless they want an ostrich who gets into prank wars and makes their other villagers cry, making him one of the meanest villagers in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. That either sounds like an awesome description or something worth avoiding, it's really up to the player.
5 Phoebe
Phoebe is an ostrich that quickly works her way into players’ hearts with her sisterly personality. Modeled after a phoenix, Phoebe is one of the many birds in the “ostrich” category that shares no physical similarities with an actual ostrich.
She is easy to befriend, given her nurturing personality, and can be very protective of the player's character—even offering to fight off anyone giving them trouble. If players are looking for a loyal, caring ostrich to join their island after the Animal Crossing: New Horizons October update, Phoebe is the best choice.
4 Julia
Julia may have a snooty personality, but she’s still fun to keep around on the island. While Julia is a female “ostrich,” more accurately described as a peacock, her plumage is distinctly reminiscent of male peacocks.
Her design, coupled with her tendency to strut her stuff year-round, not just at Halloween, has led many players to believe Julia offers some transgender representation within the Animal Crossing series. While this isn’t officially confirmed, it’s nice to see players make these kinds of connections with the game.
3 Rio
Rio is a perfect example of an Animal Crossing villager having a name and design where the inspiration is crystal clear. For Rio, it's safe to say she is meant to be based on Brazilian carnival culture, which is colorfully displayed in her feathers.
Throw in that her name is a reference to the city of Rio de Janeiro and the loud pattern of her default clothing and it's safe to say she brings the party. Her personality type is preppy meaning players will very easily be able to befriend her but must understand that she may bring a lot of energy and can overreact to things.
2 Sprocket
Sprocket is easily one of the cooler concepts in terms of design when looking at not only Ostrich characters, but the animal villagers in the Animal Crossing series as a whole. His personality is under the Jock category and the robotic green bird comes with a sleek orange jacket as his default wardrobe. He's a nice presence to have in town as his goal is to become a musician and he can often be seen shredding the air guitar.
Some players may not like the self-centered competitive aspects of Jock villagers, but he adds a nice bit of curiosity and diversity, but just make sure he isn't surrounded by a number of laid-back or lazy neighbors. Either the idea of a robot ostrich works for specific players or it doesn't, so Sprocket may be an acquired taste, but boy is his design so unique when compared to his counterparts.
1 Flora
Out of all the ostriches, Flora tends to be a fan favorite with good reason. She’s a sweet, peppy villager who’s easy to be friends with and is sure to encourage players to try new spooky DIY recipes. Her design is not modeled after a real ostrich but instead is modeled after a flamingo.
Flora is fun, cute, and always happy to chat with players when she lives on their island. By far, Flora is the best ostrich for players to have on their island. If everyone is being honest, though, it's very clear that Flora is a flamingo, despite Animal Crossing: New Horizons trying to play it off as though she's simply a pink ostrich.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is available now on the Nintendo Switch.
