From a parliament of owls to a flamboyance of flamingos, discover a variety of fun collective nouns for animals.
Fun Collective Nouns for Animals You Should Know
Updated Sep. 03, 2024
A Collective of Larks
The horned lark is the only lark native to North America. It generally forages in flocks (except when it is nesting) and does it while walking or running on the ground, picking up seeds, insects and low-hanging berries as it goes. But it sings from high in the sky, either from perches or while flying.
A Murmuration of Starlings
A murmuration can appear as a shape-shifting, fluid form due to the individual birds matching the movements of the birds around them. For example, if one starling shifts its direction or speed, the birds surrounding it will as well, resulting in the ever-changing, flowing pattern of the flock.
A Walk of Snails
Because land snails move so slowly, they live in a small radius and don’t have a high chance of coming into contact with other snails. To increase their odds of finding a mate, they follow the slime trails left by other snails, and most are hermaphroditic, which means they can mate with any other snail of their species.
A Flutter of Butterflies
Monarchs usually travel alone, but they cluster together in trees to stay warm in their winter grounds. These clusters can number in the tens of thousands of individual butterflies and may become so heavy that they occasionally cause branches to break!
A Charm of Hummingbirds
Hummingbirds are not very social creatures and are often aggressive toward other hummingbirds. They are very territorial and fiercely defend food sources and nests. This ferocity varies by season, being strongest during mating season and weakest during migration.
A Siege of Cranes
The sandhill crane migration is known for being one of the greatest migrations in North America. The Platte River in Nebraska is a major staging site on their journey, with up to 1.25 million cranes stopping there to rest and feed for a few weeks.
A Skulk of Foxes
Foxes are generally solitary creatures, but they are monogamous and raise their young together. The parents take turns going out and hunting for their pups, and the pups stay with their parents for about seven months before venturing out on their own.
More Collective Nouns for Animals
- a flamboyance of flamingos
- an army of caterpillars
- a scurry of squirrels
- a gaggle of geese
- a descent of woodpeckers
- an unkindness of ravens
- a committee of vultures
- a convocation of eagles
- a party of blue jays
- a college of cardinals
- an ostentation of peacocks
- a loveliness of ladybugs
About the Experts
Kenn and Kimberly Kaufman are the official bird experts for Birds & Blooms. They are the creators of the Kaufman Field Guide series and they lead birding trips all over the world.
Sources
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- BBC – A gaggle, a confusion and a conspiracy – bizarre animal collective group names
- Merriam-webster – A Drudge of Lexicographers Presents: Collective Nouns
- Readers Digest – 27 Hilarious (but Totally Real) Names for Groups of Animals
- The Atlantic – A Flamboyance of Flamingos
- BBC Wildlife – Collective names for animals
- Okies for Monarchs – What do you call a group of butterflies?
- Mental Floss – 50 Collective Nouns for Groups of Animals
- Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum – Interesting Facts about Vultures
- The Nature Conservancy – A Skulk of Foxes, A Bevy of Quail
- National Geographic Kids – Bald Eagle
- Utah Birds: Names – Bird Groups and Young Birds
- National Park Service – Cardinals and Allies
- San Diego Zoo – peafowl
- The New Yorker – Edward Steed’s “A Loveliness of Ladybugs”
Originally Published: August 27, 2024
