Demotivational Posters for Birds

Demotivational Posters for Birds (XI)

December 25, 2025 by Kai Pflug No Comments

Today marks the eleventh installment of Demotivational Posters for Birds — or, as a focus group suggested, “Aspirational Visual Messaging for Feathered Audiences.” Yes, we’ve been through a rebranding exercise. The crows insisted it was time.

Our consultants — a team of starlings who claim to have experience in “viral content optimization” — advised us to shift the tone from bleak realism to “authentic positivity.” They said despair doesn’t test well with younger audiences. The herons nodded solemnly, then went back to standing motionless for hours.

We tried to make the posters sound more upbeat, but the subjects resisted. Turns out, there’s only so much sparkle you can add to migration failure, brood parasitism, or the general futility of singing over traffic noise. Still, we appreciate the effort.

So here it is: the newly improved, strategically aligned, audience-engaged edition of Demotivational Posters for Birds. Same existential void — just with better branding. “Demotivational Posters for Birds™ — Inspiring Tomorrow’s Regret Today”, anyone?

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.