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Collective Nouns for Birds

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What is a collective noun?

A collective noun is a word that describes a group of objects, such as fish. While many collective nouns are rather general, some very specifically refer to a particular type of group, such as a "piteousness" of doves. Here, "piteousness" is a collective noun used to refer specifically to a group of doves. These very exact terms are called terms of venery, and refer to animal groups specifically.

Some collective nouns refer to groups, while others are more to the point of describing an aspect of an animal's habits. For example, a herd may refer specifically to a group of animals such as buffalo, while an exaltation refers to a characteristic of a group of larks.

I have written several lenses on collective nouns, grouped by types. I hope you will enjoy reading through them, and even adding one of your own in the feedback.

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Collective Contents

  1. A Flock of Birds
  2. A Raft of Auks
  3. A Siege of Bitterns
  4. A Bellowing of Bullfinches
  5. A Wake of Buzzards
  6. A Peep of Chickens
  7. A Clutch of Chicks
  8. A Brood of Hens
  9. A Covert of Coots
  10. A Flight of Cormorants
  11. A Herd of Cranes
  12. A Murder of Crows
  13. A Herd of Curlews
  14. A Trip of Dotterel
  15. A Pitteousness of Doves
  16. A Twack of Ducks
  17. A Congress of Eagles
  18. A Mob of Emus
  19. A Cast of Falcons
  20. A Charm of Finches
  21. A Stand of Flamingoes
  22. A Pack of Galahs
  23. A Troubling of Goldfinches
  24. A Gaggle of Geese
  25. A Flight of Goshawks
  26. A Lek of Grouse
  27. A Bazaar of Guillemots
  28. A Confusion of Guinea Fowl
  29. A Screech of Gulls
  30. A Kettle of Hawks
  31. A Siege of Herons
  32. A Charm of Hummingbirds
  33. A Clattering of Jackdaws
  34. A Scold of Jays
  35. A Desert of Lapwings
  36. An Exultation of Larks
  37. A Conventicle of Magpies
  38. A Sute of Mallards
  39. A Richness of Martins
  40. A Watch of Nightingales
  41. A Parliament of Owls
  42. A Pandemonium of Parrots
  43. A Covey of Partridges
  44. An Ostentation of Peacocks
  45. A Creche of Penguins
  46. A Bouquet of Pheasants
  47. A Plague of Pigeons
  48. A Congregation of Plovers
  49. A Covey of Ptarmigans
  50. A Bevy of Quail
  51. An Unkindness of Ravens
  52. A Clamour of Rooks
  53. A Hill of Ruffs
  54. A Fling of Sandpipers
  55. A Cloud of Sea Fowl
  56. A Flock of Seagulls
  57. A Doading of Sheldrakes
  58. An Exultation of Skylarks
  59. A Wisp of Snipe
  60. A Ubiquity of Sparrows
  61. A Murmuration of Starlings
  62. A Phalanx of Storks
  63. A Flight of Swallows
  64. A Whiteness of Swans
  65. A Diving of Teal
  66. A Mutation of Thrushes
  67. A Raffle of Turkeys
  68. A Dule of Turtledoves
  69. A Knob of Waterfowl
  70. A Coil of Wigeon
  71. A Descent of Woodpeckers
  72. A Fall of Woodcocks
  73. A Herd of Wrens
  74. Other Collective Lenses
  75. An Exaltation of Larks
  76. Collective Feedback
  77. About Me
  78. Enhance Your Lens or Blog With Pictures

A Flock of Birds

Also a dissimulation or covey

Individuality: Flamingos

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A Raft of Auks

Auks

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A Siege of Bitterns

Least Bittern

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A Bellowing of Bullfinches

Three Studies of a Bullfinch

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A Wake of Buzzards

Augur Buzzards on a Branch

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A Peep of Chickens

December Chickens

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A Clutch of Chicks

Chicks with Rock and Flowers

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A Brood of Hens

White Hens at the Chicken Farm

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A Covert of Coots

Also a raft

American Coot Adult with Chicks, San Diego, California

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A Flight of Cormorants

A Black-Faced Cormorant Rising out of the Water

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A Herd of Cranes

A Pair of Japanese or Red Crowned Cranes Engage in a Courtship Dance

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A Murder of Crows

Also a horde, hover, mob, muster, parcel, or parliament

Crows Fly Over a Tree Where Others are Already Camped for the Night at Dusk in Bucharest Romania

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A Herd of Curlews

Eastern Curlew (Numenius Madagascariens) at Roebuck Bay Near Broome, Australia

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A Trip of Dotterel

Dotterel

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A Pitteousness of Doves

Also a dole, dule, flight, or pitying

Mourning Doves

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A Twack of Ducks

Also a badling, flush, raft, sword, or team

Additionally, a dopping of ducks when diving, a plump of ducks when flying, and a paddling of ducks when swimming.
Canvas Backed Duck

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A Congress of Eagles

Also a convocation

An American Bald Eagle in Flight

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A Mob of Emus

A Flock of Emus at Dawsons Valley,Queensland

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A Cast of Falcons

Peregrine Falcon

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A Charm of Finches

Also a trembling or trimming

Purple Finch, from

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A Stand of Flamingoes

Flamingos at Lake Bogoria, Kenya

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A Pack of Galahs

A Row of Galah Cockatoos Perched on a Small Tree Branch

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A Troubling of Goldfinches

Also a drum, charm, or churm

American Goldfinches and House Finches Eat Thistle Seed from a Feeder

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A Gaggle of Geese

Also a flock, nide, or skein

Additionally, a wedge of geese when flying, and a plump of geese when on the water.
Canada Geese Enjoy a Sunny Day on Capitol Lake in Pierre, S.D.

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A Flight of Goshawks

Northern Goshawk, Male Close-Up, Scotland

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A Lek of Grouse

Also a covey or pack

Spruce Grouse Perched on a Branch, Alaska

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A Bazaar of Guillemots

Black Guillemots, Pair, Scotland

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A Confusion of Guinea Fowl

Helmeted Guinea Fowl, Kenya

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A Screech of Gulls

Also a colony

Portrait of Two Seagulls on a Beach

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A Kettle of Hawks

Also a cast or a lease when they are tame

Soaring High

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A Siege of Herons

Louisiana Heron from

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A Charm of Hummingbirds

Hummingbirds of US & Canada

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A Clattering of Jackdaws

Also a train

Horse, and Jackdaws, Scotland

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A Scold of Jays

Also a party or band

Talk on the Old Fence

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A Desert of Lapwings

Masked Lapwing (Vanellus Miles), Great Ocean Road, Victoria, Australia

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An Exultation of Larks

Also a bevy or an exalting

Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella Magna)

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A Conventicle of Magpies

Also a tidings

A Group of Magpies Gathered Around a Fish Carcass

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A Sute of Mallards

Also a sord

Mallard

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A Richness of Martins

Purple Martin with Trumpet Vine

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A Watch of Nightingales

A Nightingale Quenches its Thirst from a Leaking Tap During a Sizzling Day

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A Parliament of Owls

Also a stare

Barn Owl, Full-Frame Portrait of Barn Owl Perched on Fence Post, Lancashire, UK

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A Pandemonium of Parrots

Also a company or prattle

Parrot Family

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A Covey of Partridges

Male and Female Californian Partridge, from Voyage de La Perouse

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An Ostentation of Peacocks

Also a muster or a pride

A Peacock Spreads its Feathers at the Alipore Zoo

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A Creche of Penguins

Also a colony, huddle, or parcel

Penguin and Chick

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A Bouquet of Pheasants

Also a covey, nide, or nye

Pheasant, Close up of Male, Scotland

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A Plague of Pigeons

Also a kit or loft

Huge Increase in the Number of Postmen! a Comment on the Pigeon Post

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A Congregation of Plovers

Ringed Plover, Charadrius Hiaticula, Applecross Peninsula, Wester Ross, Scotland

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A Covey of Ptarmigans

Close View of a Ptarmigan Displaying its Winter Plumage

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A Bevy of Quail

Also a covey

Gambel's Quail at the Omaha Zoo, Nebraska

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An Unkindness of Ravens

Ravens Socializing

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A Clamour of Rooks

Also a building or a parliament

Rook, Corvus Frugilegus Adult Perched on Fence Post Feb, Scotland

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A Hill of Ruffs

Ruffed Goose, Circa 1812

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A Fling of Sandpipers

A Sandpiper Skims the Water for a Meal in the Meadowlands

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A Cloud of Sea Fowl

Pelicans Pass over Boca Chica, Texas

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A Flock of Seagulls

A Flock of Gulls in Flight

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A Doading of Sheldrakes

Crested Sheldrake Ducks

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An Exultation of Skylarks

Skylark

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A Wisp of Snipe

Also a walk

Sabine's Snipe

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A Ubiquity of Sparrows

Also a host or quarrel

Java Sparrows, Cream (Padda Oryzivora)

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A Murmuration of Starlings

Migrating Common Starling Flock at Sunset Take Flight, Australia

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A Phalanx of Storks

Also a muster

Female Saddlebilled Stork (Ephippiorhynchus Senegalensis), Kruger Park, South Africa, Africa

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A Flight of Swallows

Swallow in Flight, Pembrokeshire, UK

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A Whiteness of Swans

Also a gaggle, wedge, bank, bevy, herd, eyrar, or gargle

Mother Swan with Cygnets

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A Diving of Teal

Also a spring

European and American Teal Duck

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A Mutation of Thrushes

Collared Palm-Thrush, Ruaha National Park, Tanzania

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A Raffle of Turkeys

Also a Rafter

Wild Turkey Males Displaying, Texas, USA

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A Dule of Turtledoves

Also a pitying or a dole

Collared Turtle Dove Perched on a Tree Limb

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A Knob of Waterfowl

Also a plump

Canvas Backed Duck

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A Coil of Wigeon

American Wigeons Courting, Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Reserve, New Mexico, USA

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A Descent of Woodpeckers

Also a fall

Pileated Woodpecker

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A Fall of Woodcocks

Woodcock, St. Tiggywinkles, UK

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A Herd of Wrens

Superb Fairy-Wren or Blue Wren., Australia

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Other Collective Lenses

See these lenses for more collective nouns.
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An Exaltation of Larks

by James Lipton

The ULTIMATE guide to collective nouns.
An Exaltation of Larks: The Ultimate Edition

An Exaltation of Larks: The Ultimate Edition

by: James Lipton

Amazon Price: $5.46 (as of 05/30/2012)Buy Now

Collective Feedback

  • Mim_Art Apr 5, 2012 @ 7:57 am | delete
    Fab lens - I always find collective nouns fascinating (even though I usually forget the 'lot' of 'em *wink*).
  • BryanLSC Apr 4, 2012 @ 11:18 pm | delete
    Nice info and very nice pictures! Great lens!
  • JaguarJulie Apr 2, 2012 @ 10:52 am | delete
    Ah, sweet ... a covert of coots ... old coots at that ... just saw them!
  • nickupton Oct 29, 2010 @ 8:26 am | delete
    Exaltation of Larks and Ostentation of Peacocks have always been my favourite but I learned a new one; A convecticle of Magpies - cool.
  • XaXax... Jun 24, 2011 @ 5:54 pm | delete
    Superb kamagra and buy propecia here!
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About Me

Natalie Schorr

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I am a writer, artist, and designer living in beautiful McLeansville, NC. I received my BFA from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and my... more »

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