Lists

9 Things Birds Do Better Than Humans

September 24, 2026 by Kai Pflug No Comments

Navigating

Finding the same breeding spot after an absence of half a year, rather than getting lost in IKEA.

Flying

Without all the add-ons (luggage check-in, security check, boarding, safety instructions, taxiing, etc.) that turn a 45-minute flight into a three-hour journey.

Building efficiently

Building a lightweight, eco-friendly home without blueprints, power tools or YouTube videos.

Seeing Colors

When birds—with their four color receptors—want to explain how limited human color vision is, they probably use black-and-white photos.

Remembering Locations

If you manage to lose your mobile phone in your own apartment, you would not survive a harsh winter remembering where you hid several thousand nuts six months earlier.

Sleeping

I wish I could sleep with only half my brain. Especially during some meetings.

Forecasting the Weather

Birds often notice approaching storms long before humans check the weather app.

Singing

I know—you think your karaoke performances are pretty impressive. Be glad songbirds never serve as karaoke judges.

Looking good

Without cosmetics or a personal stylist.

Photo: Asian Green Bee-eater, Udawala, Sri Lanka, March 2025 (as seen by a human)

Written by Kai Pflug
Kai has lived in Shanghai for 22 years. He only started birding after moving to China, so he is far more familiar with Chinese birds than the ones back in his native Germany. As a birder, he considers himself strictly average and tries to make up for it with photography, which he shares on a separate website. Alas, most of the photos are pretty average as well. He hopes that few clients of his consulting firm—focused on China’s chemical industry—ever find this blog, as it might raise questions about his professional priorities. Much of his time is spent either editing posts for 10,000 Birds or cleaning the litter boxes of his numerous indoor cats. He occasionally considers writing a piece comparing the two activities.