Demotivational Posters for Birds

Demotivational Posters for Birds (VIII)

December 4, 2025 by Kai Pflug No Comments

Claims of improving bird well-being are common in the poster industry. We prefer evidence. Below are selected case studies documenting how modest exposure to structured despair has helped birds manage stress, reduce ambition, and embrace a more sustainable level of disappointment.

Dunlin: “The Migration poster really spoke to me. This year, I stayed behind. I called it a sabbatical.”

Peregrine Falcon: “That one hit home after I overshot my prey and crashed into a window. I glide more slowly these days. People call it mindfulness.”

White-backed Woodpecker: “Since that one, I’ve cut my drumming sessions in half. My head feels better. Trees, too.”

Great Egret: “It made me rethink fishing. I now take naps instead. My catch rate’s down, but so is my blood pressure.”

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.