Birding, Blogging

Birding Brochure English, Part 1: An Introduction

March 27, 2026 by Kai Pflug 1 Comment

I have never encountered the word “denizen” anywhere other than in birding brochures. It seems to live there, alongside several other terms that have found a safe habitat in this particular corner of marketing literature.

Here is an excerpt from a typical brochure, followed by a translation into something resembling plain English.

“We will explore lush, verdant forests teeming with avifauna, where a dazzling array of endemic and highly sought-after species await. Among the denizens of this pristine habitat are the elusive ground-dwelling pittas, jewel-like sunbirds, and a charismatic suite of forest specialists. This immersive experience offers excellent opportunities to encounter some of the region’s most iconic birds in an unforgettable setting.”

What it means:

We’ll walk through fairly green forest where there are quite a lot of birds. Some of them are local species you can’t see elsewhere. We might see pittas on the ground if we’re lucky, and there are also some colourful sunbirds and other typical forest birds. Overall, this is a good place to see several well-known species.

The birds are real, the language does the rest.

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.