We’re all familiar with some of the basic collective nouns for birds, such as a murder of crows or a gaggle of geese, but what about a charm of finches or a parliament of owls?
So we’ve assembled a list of collective nouns for various types of birds. While the first term is typically the most common, the others are equally acceptable.
Before we get to specific groups of birds, a group of general birds has a number of names you can use. Perhaps the most common is a flock of birds, but it can also be a flight, volery, or brace.
Bitterns: sedge
Chickens: brood, clutch, peep
Cormorants: gulp
Cranes: herd, sedge
Crows: murder, congress
Doves: dole, flight, piteousness
Ducks: Raft, brace, paddling, raft
Eagles: convocation, aerie
Emus: mob
Finches: charm
Flamingoes: stand, flamboyance, pat
Geese: gaggle (on the ground), skein (in flight), plump (flying close together)
Grouse: covey, pack
Gulls: colony
Hawks: boil, cast, kettle, lease
Herons: seige, sedge
Ibises: colony
Jays: band, party, scold
Lapwings: deceit, desert
Larks: bevy, exaltation
Magpies: charm, congregation, gulp, murder, tiding, tittering
Mallards: flush, puddling, sord, suit
Nightingales: watch
Owls: parliament, stare, wisdom
Parrots: company, pandemonium
Peacocks: muster, ostentation, pride, party
Pelicans: squadron, scoop, pod
Penguins: colony, waddle, rookery (on land), raft (at sea)
Pheasants: bouquet, nye, nide, nest, head
Pigeons: kit
Plovers: congregation, stand, wing
Quails: bevy, covey, drift
Ravens: congress, unkindness
Rooks: building, parliament
Sandpipers: fling
Snipes: walk, whisp
Sparrows: host, meinie, tribe
Starlings: chattering, cloud, congregation, murmuration, clattering
Storks: mustering, phalanx (migrating)
Swallows: flight, gulp
Swans: wedge, team, lamentation, bank, bevy, drift, eyrar, flight, whiting
Swifts: flock, scream
Turkeys: gang, rafter, gobble, posse, raffle
Vultures: wake, venue
Waterfowl: bunch, knob, raft
Woodcocks: fall
Woodpeckers: descent
Wrens: herd, chime
Erich Platz
You are missing several different species… I did not see any reference to the hummingbird, boobie (blue footed or other) nor kiwi or ostrich! Please tighten up your list for the sake of the internet! WE NEED TO KNOW THESE THINGS
Courtney White
You should try and look at it from a different view and appreciate the list he provided. I say bravo. And be nicer 😐
Mario Tcheukado
I completely understand….what else?
Inga
I thought you were being funny and I appreciated your sarcasm … you weren’t being mean. you didn’t mean it. not like that, anyway!
Mark Winn
Hummingbirds and goldfinches are both called a “charm”.
Lea
I think a group of ostriches shares the “mob” designation with emus. And I guess dodos form a “ghost” or a “has-been”. Boobies? Most likely “blondes” or a “stewardessness”.
Richard Parris
Perhaps bounce of boobies should be taken under advisement. Tittering of magpies is already in use.
Ken
I believe Boris Johnson has renamed the collective term for rooks. It’s now a prorogued parliament of rooks. I suppose Britain’s stealing away from the EU might have made that a parliament of crooks. So democracy will have to just gulp and swallow it now that the kit is among the pigeons.
Phil the Fluter
A Quisling of Remoaners?
Dave
Leave out the politics please, I came here to get away from it
dude
chillax dave
Ian Henderson
Bigot of Brexiteers?
Richard Parris
Maybe a querulous of apolitical remoaners?
Isla thompstone
you are my hero i look at this comment every couple of years when i feel sad 🙂
R.lalit
Very excellent and very helpful
Ramakrishna Easwaran
This collection of collective nouns made me compose a doggerel:
The CONVOCATION of EAGLES was a grand affair
With a BAND of JAYS, playing a formal air.
Held next to a PARLIAMENT of OWLS, all wise
Under the close WATCH of NIGHTINGALES, all of one size
When a MOB of EMUS tried to gate-crash
The FLAMBOYANCE of FLAMINGOS made them less rash
A CONGRESS of CROWS had planned the whole event
Engaging a COMPANY of PARROTS, a decision to repent
For a HERD of HERONS was by far a better choice
And a BRACE of DUCKS, their pet errand boys
A BROOD of CHICKEN was needed for the dinner
And the KETTLE of HAWKS used was a real winner
Greg
Excellent
Stanford Lynx
What are a group of several TERNS called?
Ron
A racetrack. Or a twist.
Chris
That’s a Maze of Terns.
Skip Berlin
Bombers!!!!!
Skip Berlin
Enraged Bombers
Richard Parris
A roundabout of terns.
dude
whats up my bros, dem is some sick birds yo
michael jackson
group of birds known as a watch
michael jackson
does anyone out there know the name for a group of birds known as a watch, surely someone must know.
Brosqq McGee
A watch of nightengales.
Dana Murray
Someone asked me “who came up with these names?” Anybody know?
Barry D. Speer
Life long casual bird observer. with three birds feeders we often have about 10+ birds. Watch from 2nd story deck and good binoculars on monopod, while sitting.
Question: with several bird books in hand we have one variety unable to identify. It closely matches the black hooded chickadee in all details except there is no white anywhere around the neck head area. All three books do not picture chickadees without some collar of white on the males. Guess these, mine, our a new different type? Can you help?
Tim
I just discovered what I originally thought were black-capped chickadees were actually their near-twins, the Mountain Chickadee
Tracy Humphrey
What is a group of Cardinals called?
skip berlin
A Conclave
Abbey Dharma
wonderful …. fun … and all the extra supportive friendly comments are great too.
yes lets be kind and caring – life is too short for anything less.
thanks everyone
Rachel Busch
A group of Loons is called a conclave.
Becky
A family
Connie Worthington
What group of birds is known as an ecstasy?
Richard Parris
Wrong animal. You’re thinking of an ecstasy of drug hounds.
ek
why does the German language only have one name for a group of birds: i.e Schwarm? when did the cultures divert?
Carol Lewandowski
This is a delightful list!! Thank you.
Michael Holstein
May I suggest a carving of turkeys?
Abigail Johnson
hi like your list and i am a bird lover too . I think you did a great job. 🤗👍
Bernie Pitkin
Interesting comments – and please DON’T leave out the politics!
How about a CONCLAVE of CARDINALS?
Skip Berlin
A swarm of wee Kinglets
Bobbins of rRobins
Squadron of Geese
Bombers of Terns
skip berlin
a coven of owls
Willy
Great list. Thanks
Cohen
Bird lovers and word lovers here may enjoy the wonderful book “An Exaltation of Larks” by James Lipton. It’s a collection of collective nouns — for birds, other animals, and even some humans. Find it cheap (or cheep!) on eBay.
Richard Parris
Perhaps a Querulous of Remoaners? Or a Politik of plovers?!