Demotivational Posters for Birds

Demotivational Posters for Birds (XII)

January 1, 2026 by Kai Pflug No Comments

We’ve reached the twelfth edition of Demotivational Posters for Birds — or, as our lawyers prefer, “Emotional Support Imagery”. After so many sessions, we felt it was time to address the emotional well-being of our target audience.

This edition takes place in group therapy. A Barn Owl moderates, though some question his qualifications after that vole incident.

The birds open up slowly. A Nightjar admits it no longer believes in camouflage — says it’s just hiding from its feelings. A Magpie talks about boundary issues with shiny objects. The Robin can’t stop apologizing. There’s progress, of sorts.

Our posters from this session reflect what we learned: healing is overrated, self-awareness is exhausting, and even the most resilient feathers molt eventually. Still, the group agreed to meet again next week — assuming no one migrates before then.

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.