Demotivational Posters for Birds

Demotivational Posters for Birds (X)

December 18, 2025 by Kai Pflug No Comments

Today marks the tenth installment of Demotivational Posters for Birds — a milestone that feels less like a celebration and more like a quiet sigh. A few of our bird friends (they hate it when we call them avian — they say it sounds pretentious) joined us to mark the occasion.

We are grateful for their continued moral support. Humans — experienced birders included — have accused 10,000 Birds of spreading fake news, of portraying birds’ lives as miserable or at best monotonous. But as we gathered around a table covered with sunflower seeds, mealworms, and beer, they reassured us: what we do at 10,000 Birds is right.

And they hope birders will again learn from another round of demotivational posters what birds really go through — not life in a children’s picture book, but in a Sartre novel.

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.