This comedic cartoon depicts a variety of bird characters representing common academic stereotypes. Each bird has a humorous name and description that highlight different aspects of academic life, from stressed researchers to confident professors. The cartoon provides a playful take on the roles and personalities found in academia.
Creation date
2016-03-02AltText
Cartoon showing multiple bird characters, each labeled with humorous academic stereotypes.Transcript
Birds of Academia
A Spotter's Guide
Technician Owl
Knows how everything works, where everything is and how to fix it. Possibly the most important member of any lab. Also has coffee.
Stressed Kiwi of Deadlines
Often covered in half-finished experiments and almost always under a desk weeping quietly.
Laser Eagle Reviewers
Can slice your work from 300 paces with advanced vision and cunning. Always leaves you wanting to cry.
Blind Mallard Reviewer
Will not read your paper and reviews based on random guesses from an academic game of "pin the tail on the donkey."
Blue Bird of Celebration
Goes to every conference but only ever to celebrate finishing their talk. Possibly never sober.
The Hangover Student Robin
Spends 90% of undergrad with a headache and looking for bacon. Possibly never sober.
Lecturer Penguin
Stands in front of large groups in cold, poorly insulated lecture halls. Possibly wearing a tuxedo. Possibly not.
Post-Doc Pigeon
Comes from nowhere to crap on your carefully laid out plan and leaves you to clean it up. Possibly for coffee.
Professorial Turkey
Puffs out an inflated sense of achievement that it displays in short, self-important conversation.
The Zen Chick
A meandering bird with stress resistance that astounds everyone it meets.
