Demotivational Posters for Birds

Demotivational Posters for Birds (XX)

February 26, 2026 by Kai Pflug No Comments

Birds are often admired for how they present themselves. Their colors. Their posture. Their apparent confidence. Birds know better.

Looking impressive requires far less effort than doing something useful. Many birds have mastered the art of appearing decisive while waiting for something else to happen. Others rely on glamour, confidence, or sheer visual impact to distract from the fact that they are, at that moment, accomplishing nothing at all.

This set of posters is for appearances — meticulously maintained, widely admired, and mostly pointless. For birds who look impressive without actually gaining anything from it.

There has been the occasional mild interest in products based on this series – posters, screensavers, coffee mugs, T-Shirts … Should you share this interest, please let me know in the comments or at kai.pflug@gmail.com; I might set something up.

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.