Demotivational Posters for Birds

Demotivational Posters for Birds (XIV)

January 15, 2026 by Kai Pflug No Comments

Migration: a great annual exercise in endurance and futility. Birds everywhere prepare for journeys that are long, perilous, and underappreciated. Some carry tiny tracking devices. Most carry existential dread.

We interviewed a few species during their seasonal travels. The Arctic Tern admitted that 50,000 miles per year is “mostly just repetitive scenery.” A flock of sandpipers muttered about turbulence, lost feathers, and the emotional toll of wind resistance.

Our new set of posters captures the subtle despair of migration: the wind, the cold, the navigational uncertainty, and the crushing realisation that the same lakes, marshes, and fields will still be disappointing when you arrive. Flight is exhausting. Stopovers are brief. Predators are patient. The journey matters less than the ability to survive it.

Arctic Tern: “50,000 miles a year. Mostly just scenery you’ve seen before.”

Sandpiper Flock: “Headwinds, tailwinds, sideways winds. None of them care about your dreams.”

Bar-headed Goose: “Flying in V-formation: 100% teamwork, 0% social satisfaction.”

Barn Swallow: “Migration is just moving your existential dread to a new location.”

Puffin: “Returned to the same cliff. Same fish shortage. Same disappointment.”

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.