Lists

Another 10 Cute Birds

November 27, 2025 by Kai Pflug No Comments

Silver-breasted Broadbill: Pretty much all broadbills are cute, but this one gets extra points for being compact and fluffy at the same time.

Ashy-throated Parrotbill: Maybe this species always desperately tries to be taken seriously, but with the red “hair”, the tiny beak, and the curious eyes, it will only ever come over as cute.

Sunda Scops Owl: With the stern but cute look of a cat admonishing its owner to hurry up with the food supply.

Malaysian Pied Fantail: Count Dracula reincarnated as a cute bird.

Willow Tit: I usually do not think of Hitler as cute but …

Double-barred Finch: At some point in the past, anybody who was into Manchester music was wearing hoodies and trying to look cute. It only worked for a few, most of them girls – but it works for this finch all the time.

Cape Batis: Maybe it is just the “Cape” in the name, but it looks like a cute and tiny superhero in a children’s movie.

Blue Tit: When a photo looks like a cartoon character without any photoshopping.

Eurasian Wren: The only creatures not thinking that this is a very cute animal are other wrens, as the species is very territorial and aggressive. And insects, as the wrens eat them. And most animal species other than humans as they do not really care about cuteness.

Rufous Piculet: It was in a hurry this morning, coming to our photo session. So, it forgot to bring its tail.



Written by Kai Pflug
Kai has lived in Shanghai for more than 21 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.