97 Fun Facts About Groups of Animals

What is a group of crows called?

A murder of crows is the traditional term, though ornithologists rarely use it; winter crow roosts can number in the tens of thousands of birds.

What is a group of owls called?

Owls are mostly solitary hunters, so a real 'parliament' is a rare sight outside the breeding season.

What is a group of lions called?

A pride of lions is the standard term; a pride is built around a core of related lionesses and their cubs, with one or a few adult males attached.

What is a group of geese on the ground called?

A gaggle of geese is the term for the birds on the ground or water; once airborne the flock takes a separate set of flight terms.

What is a group of geese in flight called?

Skein originally meant a length of coiled yarn, a nod to the long trailing lines geese fly in.

What is a group of flamingos called?

A flamboyance of flamingos is the popular term, with 'stand' as the plainer alternative; East African soda lakes can hold flocks of over a million lesser flamingos.

What is a group of ravens called?

An unkindness of ravens is the traditional term, recorded in 15th-century English hunting lists and reflecting the bird's dark reputation in folklore.

What is a group of larks called?

An exaltation of larks appears in 15th-century English hunting lists and gave James Lipton the title of his 1968 book on collective nouns.

What is a group of ferrets called?

A business of ferrets is the traditional term, from the older spelling 'busyness'; ferrets are relentlessly active whenever they are awake.

What is a group of rhinoceroses called?

Adult rhinos are largely solitary, so a crash is usually a mother with calves or a loose group at a waterhole.

What is a group of hippopotamuses called?

A bloat of hippos is the popular term; hippos spend the day packed together in rivers and lakes and come ashore at night to graze.

What is a group of giraffes called?

A tower of giraffes is the popular term, though 'herd' is used just as often because giraffe groups are loose and change membership constantly.

What is a group of zebras called?

A dazzle of zebras plays on the idea that massed stripes make it hard for a predator to single out one animal; 'zeal' is another recorded term.

What is a group of jellyfish called?

A smack of jellyfish is the traditional folk term; marine biologists usually say 'bloom' for a sudden jellyfish population explosion.

What is a group of porcupines called?

Porcupines are mostly solitary, so a prickle is usually a family sharing a den in winter.

What is a group of hedgehogs called?

An array of hedgehogs is the term modern lists give; hedgehogs are solitary, so the word sees far more use in quizzes than in hedgerows.

What is a group of penguins on land called?

A waddle of penguins is the term for the birds on land; in the water the same group becomes a raft.

What is a group of wombats called?

A wisdom of wombats is the term modern lists give; wombat researchers rarely use it, since the animals are largely solitary burrowers.

What is a group of cheetah males called?

A coalition is the biologists' term for male cheetahs, often brothers, that band together for life to hold a territory; females live alone.

What is a group of tigers called?

An ambush of tigers is the popular term, with 'streak' as the alternative; tigers are solitary, so either word is almost purely literary.

What is a group of cockroaches called?

An intrusion of cockroaches is the listed term, and it fits: cockroaches are among the most common household pests on every inhabited continent.

What is a group of ladybugs called?

A loveliness of ladybugs is the listed term; ladybugs cluster in huge numbers to overwinter, sometimes coating whole walls and tree trunks.

What is a group of turkeys called?

Rafter is the traditional term, though 'flock' is what most farmers actually say.

What is a group of turtles called?

A bale of turtles is the traditional term; sea turtles gather in numbers only at nesting beaches, where thousands of females can come ashore at once.

What is a group of toads called?

A knot of toads is the traditional term; toads gather in writhing tangles at spring breeding ponds, which is exactly what the word describes.

What is a group of foxes called?

Skulk captures the fox's reputation for slinking; leash and earth are the other listed terms.

What is a group of hyenas called?

A cackle of hyenas is the listed term; spotted hyenas really do produce a laughing call, and biologists call their social groups clans.

What is a group of lemurs called?

A conspiracy of lemurs is the listed term; ring-tailed lemur groups can number more than 20 animals and are led by females.

What is a group of apes called?

A shrewdness of apes is the traditional term, recorded in 15th-century English lists; 'shrewd' then meant mischievous rather than clever.

What is a group of otters called?

A romp of otters is the traditional term, from their playful tumbling; sea otters floating together holding paws are instead called a raft.

What is a group of stingrays called?

A fever of stingrays is the listed term; cownose rays migrate through the Gulf of Mexico in groups of thousands, a spectacle that made the word popular.

What is a group of rats called?

A mischief of rats is the traditional term, with 'colony' the everyday one; a wild rat colony can hold hundreds of animals in one burrow system.

What is a group of squirrels called?

Squirrels are mostly solitary except when several chase one female in late winter, which is when a scurry is easiest to spot.

What is a group of polar bears called?

A celebration of polar bears is the term in modern lists; polar bears do gather in numbers on the Hudson Bay coast near Churchill while waiting for sea ice to form.

What is a group of bears (in general) called?

A sloth of bears is one of the two traditional terms, the other being 'sleuth'; brown and black bears are largely solitary outside the mating season.

What is a group of pugs called?

A grumble of pugs is the term modern lists give the breed, a nod to the snorting, grunting noises the flat-faced dogs make.

What is a group of hummingbirds or, more traditionally, goldfinches called?

A charm of goldfinches is the traditional term, from the Old English 'cirm', a chattering noise; modern lists extend it to hummingbirds.

What is a group of leopards called?

A leap of leopards is the traditional term from old English hunting lists; leopards are solitary cats that meet only to mate, so the word is almost purely literary.

What is a group of peafowl called?

An ostentation of peafowl is the showiest of the listed terms; only the males, peacocks, carry the famous train, while the group word covers peahens too.

What is a group of wild pigs called?

A sounder of wild pigs is the traditional hunting term; feral pigs travel in family groups led by sows, while drift and drove are used for domestic swine.

What is a group of hawks soaring together on thermals called?

A kettle of hawks is the birders' term for raptors circling together on a thermal; 'boil' is also used, while 'cast' means hawks flown together in falconry.

What is the group of horses running in a particular race called?

A field is the term for all the horses running in a particular race; a trainer's stable of racehorses is a string, and breeding horses are a stud.

What is a group of ducks on the water called?

A paddling of ducks is the term for the birds on the water, where 'raft' is also used; other terms, such as sord and badling, belong to ducks ashore or aloft.

What is a group of wildebeest called?

A confusion of wildebeest is the listed term, and it fits the Serengeti migration, in which more than a million animals cross the Mara River each year.

What is a group of moles called?

A labor of moles is the traditional term, though moles are aggressively solitary; a single mole can dig around 20 metres of tunnel in a day.

What is a group of nightingales called?

A watch of nightingales is the traditional term, a nod to the bird singing through the night like a sentry keeping watch.

What is a group of lapwings called?

A deceit of lapwings is the traditional term; the birds feign a broken wing to lure predators away from the nest.

What is a group of lobsters called?

A risk of lobsters is the term in popular lists; spiny lobsters do gather in numbers for autumn migrations, marching single file across the seabed.

What is a group of caterpillars called?

An army of caterpillars is the listed term, shared with frogs; armyworm caterpillars really do march across fields in huge numbers, stripping crops as they go.

What is a group of salamanders called?

A maelstrom of salamanders is the listed term; spotted salamanders converge on vernal pools on wet spring nights to breed, sometimes by the hundreds.

What is a group of starfish called?

A galaxy of starfish is the listed term, a play on the animal's star shape; starfish belong to the class Asteroidea, literally 'star-like'.

What is a group of platypuses called?

Platypuses are solitary in the wild, so a paddle would be an unusual sight outside a zoo.

What is a group of prairie dogs called?

A town is the term for a prairie dog settlement; one in Texas around 1900 was estimated to cover 25,000 square miles and hold 400 million animals.

What is a group of toucans called?

The name is a joke on Jimmy Durante, the comedian famous for his enormous nose.

What is a group of baboons called?

A flange of baboons began as a joke in a 1980s Not the Nine O'Clock News sketch and has since spread into popular lists of collective nouns.

What is a group of camels called?

A caravan of camels is the listed term, from the Persian 'karvan', a company of travellers crossing the desert together.

What is a group of alligators called?

Crocodiles get the extra terms bask, float and menace; alligators only the churchy one.

What is a group of eagles called?

Convocation is also the word for a formal assembly of clergy or academics.

What is a group of swans in flight called?

A wedge of swans is the term for the birds in flight, from their V formation; on the water they become a bevy or, more poetically, a lamentation.

What is a group of kangaroos called?

A mob of kangaroos is the everyday Australian term, also used for emus and wallabies; a mob is usually led by one dominant male.

What is a group of jays called?

A scold of jays is the listed term; blue jays mob owls and hawks with harsh calls, which is exactly what the word describes.

What is a group of mongooses called?

A committee of mongooses is one of several listed terms; banded mongooses live in groups of about 20 animals.

What is a group of woodpeckers called?

A descent of woodpeckers is the traditional term, recorded in 15th-century English hunting lists; woodpeckers are usually seen alone or in pairs.

Which bird gathers in a 'murmuration'?

Winter starling murmurations over Britain and Denmark can involve hundreds of thousands of birds twisting in unison.

Which animal is grouped as an 'embarrassment'?

The giant panda is the animal grouped as an 'embarrassment'; wild pandas are solitary, so an embarrassment is mostly a zoo phenomenon.

Which animal is grouped as an 'implausibility'?

The gnu, the same animal as the wildebeest, is the one grouped as an 'implausibility'; the word pokes fun at the animal's ungainly, mismatched build.

Which insects gather in an 'eclipse'?

Moths gather in an 'eclipse', a poetic play on the insects crowding round and blotting out a light; 'swarm' is the plainer term.

Which animal is grouped as a 'passel'?

The opossum is the animal grouped as a 'passel'; the word is a variant of 'parcel', used in the American South for a large number of anything.

Which animal is grouped as a 'protection'?

The name refers to the animal's bony armour; only the three-banded kinds can roll into a complete ball.

Which bird gathers in a 'gulp'?

Cormorants gather in a 'gulp', a nod to their swallowing fish whole; Chinese fishermen have long used trained cormorants, with a neck ring to stop them swallowing the catch.

Which 1486 hunting essay is the best-known source of English collective nouns for animals?

The Book of Saint Albans, printed in 1486 and attributed to Juliana Berners, includes a hunting essay whose list of collective nouns is the best-known early record of the tradition.

What is a group of wolves called?

A pack of wolves is the standard term; a wild pack is typically a breeding pair and their offspring of the past few years, hunting and raising pups together.

Which profession did the 1486 hunting treatise mockingly give the collective noun 'a poverty'?

Pipers were given 'a poverty' in the 1486 treatise, which extended the joke from animals to trades with entries such as 'a sentence of judges' and 'a superfluity of nuns'.

What is a group of oysters called?

A bed of oysters is the standard term; oysters cement themselves to one another on the seabed, forming reefs that can stretch for miles.

What is a group of crocodiles called?

A bask of crocodiles is the listed term, a nod to the animals lying out in the sun; crocodiles are cold-blooded and bask to raise their body temperature.

What is the traditional name for collective nouns tied to particular animals?

Terms of venery is the traditional name, from the late-medieval English hunting tradition; 'venery' comes from the Latin 'venari', to hunt.

The fashion for an elaborate hunting vocabulary reached England from which country?

France is where the fashion for an elaborate hunting vocabulary began; its terms were already part of French and English hunting practice by the early 14th century.

What is a group of cats called?

A clowder of cats is the traditional term, with glaring and clutter as alternatives; feral cats that live together are usually related females and their young.

Besides 'herd', what is a group of elephants called?

A parade of elephants is the listed term, with 'memory' as the other playful one; wild herds are led by the oldest female, the matriarch.

What is a group of partridges called?

A covey of partridges is the traditional term; a covey is typically one family party that stays together through autumn and winter.

What is a group of kittens called?

A kindle of kittens comes from an old verb meaning to give birth, the word rabbit breeders use for a doe producing a litter.

What is a group of herons called?

A siege of herons is the traditional term, with 'sedge' as the other; herons nest communally in treetop heronries but hunt alone, standing motionless in the shallows.

What is a group of goats called?

A trip of goats is the traditional term, with 'tribe' as the other; goats were among the first livestock, domesticated in the Near East around 10,000 years ago.

What is a group of hares called?

A husk of hares is the traditional term, with 'down' as another; unlike rabbits, hares do not burrow, and their leverets are born fully furred with their eyes open.

What is a group of raccoons called?

A gaze of raccoons is the listed term, with 'nursery' as another; adult raccoons are mostly solitary, so a group in the wild is usually a mother with her kits.

What is a group of hounds called?

A cry of hounds is the traditional hunting term, used since at least Shakespeare's day for hounds giving tongue together on a scent.

What is a group of buffaloes called?

An obstinacy of buffaloes is the listed term, and it fits: the African buffalo is notoriously unpredictable and counts among the 'big five' dangerous game animals.

What is a group of donkeys called?

A pace of donkeys is the traditional term, with drove and coffle as plainer alternatives; a coffle originally meant a line of animals or people fastened together for a journey.

What is a group of badgers called?

A cete of badgers is the traditional term; a sett is the burrow and brock the old country name, and one sett can serve generations of badgers for decades.

What is a group of pheasants called?

A bouquet of pheasants is the term for birds flushed into the air together; 'nye' and 'nide' are the older words, and a brace is just a pair.

Which bird gathers in a 'piteousness'?

Doves gather in a 'piteousness', with 'dule' and 'pitying' as variants; the birds' soft, mournful cooing is the likely inspiration for the name.

What is a temporary cluster of migratory ants called?

A bivouac is the temporary nest of migratory ants, built from the workers' own linked bodies to shelter the queen and brood between raids.

Besides 'swarm' and 'hive', what is a group of bees called?

A grist of bees is an old recorded term, alongside 'erst' and 'drift'; a cast is specifically a second swarm leaving the same hive.

What is a group of locusts called?

A plague of locusts is the traditional term, familiar from the Book of Exodus; desert locust swarms can contain billions of insects and strip whole fields bare.

What is a group of butterflies called?

A kaleidoscope of butterflies is the popular term; monarch butterflies gather by the millions to overwinter in the oyamel fir forests of central Mexico.

What is a group of piglets called?

A farrow is the term for a litter of piglets; 'to farrow' is the verb for a sow giving birth, and a sow can produce a dozen or more piglets at once.

Besides 'herd', what is a group of deer called?

A rangale of deer is an old hunting term, recorded alongside bunch and mob; the same medieval vocabulary gave us 'hart' for a mature red deer stag.