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Birds That Definitely Listen To Punk Music

October 15, 2026 by Kai Pflug No Comments

Punk has never been primarily about musical ability. Neither has being a bird. Some species, however, are more qualified than others.

Hoatzin: I was thinking of leaving this one out, as it is just such an obvious choice. No comments on the omission would have meant nobody reads my posts. But that thought was too terrifying to contemplate.

Lesser Adjutant: Looks like an old-time punk asking you for money in a railway underpass.

Secretarybird: Keeps insisting that music peaked with the third Wire album.

White-backed Vulture: Never cared what society thinks.

Spotted Wood Kingfisher: Its parents wanted him to become an accountant. So, it formed a punk band.

Chinese Pond Heron: No other choice with this hairstyle.

Pied Kingfisher: Still isn’t sure whether Joy Division counts as punk.

Palm Cockatoo: Claims it was into punk before it was invented.

“Palm Cockatoo 0A2A7769” by JJ Harrison is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

“Hoatzin (Opisthocomus hoazin)” by David Cook Wildlife Photography is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.

Other photos by Kai Pflug

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.