Collective nouns for birds

I came across this list the other day. Some are interesting and others amusing. I like, 'A Gatling of Woodpeckers', 'A Gulp of Swallows', and one I am not too sure of, ''A Reliant of Robins' ...

Below you’ll find a comprehensive list of collective nouns for birds, some familiar and some not so well known.

albatrosses – a rookery of albatrosses
albatrosses – a weight of albatrosses
auks – a colony of auks
auks – a raft of auks
avocets – a colony of avocets

bitterns – a pretence of bitterns
bitterns – a sedge of bitterns
bitterns – a siege of bitterns
blackbirds – a cloud of blackbirds
blackbirds – a grind of blackbirds
bobolinks – a chain of bobolinks
bullfinches – a bellowing of bullfinches
buzzards – a wake of buzzards

capercaillies – a tok of capercaillie
capons – a mews of capons
chicks – a brood of chicks
chicks – a clutch of chicks
chicks – chattering of chicks
chickens – a brood of chickens
chickens – a peep of chickens
choughs – a clattering of choughs
coots – a covert of coots
coots – a raft of coots
cormorants – a flight of cormorants
cranes – a herd of cranes
cranes – a sedge of cranes
cranes – a siege of cranes
crows – a horde of crows
crows – a hover of crows
crows – a mob of crows
crows – a murder of crows
crows – a muster of crows
crows – a parcel of crows
crows – a parliament of crows
crows – a storytelling of crows
curlews – a herd of curlews

dotterels – a trip of dotterel
doves – a bevy of doves
doves – a dole of doves
doves – a flight of doves
doves – a piteousness of doves
doves – a pitying of doves
ducks (diving) – a dopping of ducks
ducks (flying) – a plump of ducks
ducks (on water) – a paddling of ducks
ducks – a badling of ducks
ducks – a flush of ducks
ducks – a raft of ducks
ducks – a sord of ducks
ducks – a team of ducks
ducks – a twack of ducks
dunlin – a fling of dunlins

eagles – a congress of eagles
eagles – a convocation of eagles
egrets – a stand of egrets
emus – a mob of emus

falcons – a cast of falcons
falcons – a soar of falcons
falcons – a tower of falcons
finches – a charm of finches
finches – a trembling of finches
finches – a trimming of finches
flamingos – a flamboyance of flamingos
flamingos – a stand of flamingos

godwits – an omniscience of godwits
godwits – a prayer of godwits
godwits – a pantheon of godwits
goldfinches – a drum of goldfinches
goldfinches – a troubling of goldfinches
goldfinches – a charm of goldfinches
goldfinches – a chirm of goldfinches
goosanders – a dopping of goosanders
geese – a gaggle of geese
geese (flying) – a wedge of geese
geese – a nide of geese
geese – a skein of geese
geese (on water) – a plump of geese
goshawks – a flight of goshawks
grouse – a covey of grouse
grouse – a lek of grouse
grouse – a pack of grouse
guillemots – a bazaar of guillemots
guinea fowl – a confusion of guinea fowl
gulls – a colony of gulls
gulls – a screech of gulls

hawks – a cast of hawks
hawks (tame) – a lease of hawks
hawks – a kettle of hawks
hawks (in flight) – a boil of hawks
hen harriers – a harassment of hen harriers
hen harriers – a swarm of hen harriers
hens – a brood of hens
herons – a glean of herons
herons – a siege of herons
herons – a sedge of herons
herons – a station of herons
honeyeaters – a probe of honeyeaters
hummingbirds – a charm of hummingbirds

jackdaws – a clattering of jackdaws
jackdaws – a train of jackdaws
jays – a band of jays
jays – a party of jays
jays – a scold of jays

kingfishers – a concentration of kingfishers
kingfishers – a crown of kingfishers
kingfishers – a realm of kingfishers

lapwings – a deceit of lapwings
lapwings – a desert of lapwings
larks – a bevy of larks
larks – an exaltation of larks
larks – an exalting of larks

magpies – a conventicle of magpies
magpies – a gulp of magpies
magpies – a mischief of magpies
magpies – a tidings of magpies
magpies – a tittering of magpies
mallards – a sute of mallards
mallards – a sord of mallards
martins – a richness of martins
mudhen – a fleet of mudhen

nightingales – a watch of nightingales

owls – a parliament of owls
owls – a stare of owls
owls – a study of owls
owls – a wisdom of owls
oystercatchers – a parcel of oystercatchers

parrots – a company of parrots
parrots – a prattle of parrots
parrots – a pandemonium of parrots
partridges – a covey of partridges
peacocks – a muster of peacocks
peacocks – a pride of peacocks
peacocks – an ostentation of peacocks
pelicans – a pod of pelicans
pelicans – a scoop of pelicans
pelicans – a squadron of pelicans
penguins – a colony of penguins
penguins – a creche of penguins
penguins – a huddle of penguins
penguins – a parcel of penguins
penguins – a rookery of penguins

pheasants – a bouquet of pheasants
pheasants – a covey of pheasants
pheasants – a nide of pheasants
pheasants – a nye of pheasants
pigeons – a band of pigeons
pigeons – a dropping of pigeons
pigeons – a kit of pigeons
pigeons – a loft of pigeons
pigeons – a passel of pigeons
pigeons – a stool of pigeons
plovers – a congregation of plovers
ptarmigans – a covey of ptarmigans

quails – a bevy of quail
quails – a covey of quail

ravens – a conspiracy of ravens
ravens – a constable of ravens
ravens – an unkindness of ravens
robins – a blush of robins
robins – a bobbin of robins
robins – a breast of robins
robins – a carol of robins
robins – a gift of robins
robins – a reliant of robins
robins – a riot of robins
robins – a rouge of robins
robins – a round of robins
robins – a ruby of robins
robins (American) – a worm of robins
rooks – a building of rooks
rooks – a clamour of rooks
rooks – a parliament of rooks
ruffs – a hill of ruffs

sandpipers – a bind of sandpipers
sandpipers – a cluster of sandpipers
sandpipers – a contradiction of sandpipers
sandpipers – a fling of sandpipers
sandpipers – a hill of sandpipers
sandpipers – a time-step of sandpipers
sea fowl – a cloud of sea fowl
seagulls – a colony of seagulls
seagulls – a flock of seagulls
shelducks – a doading of shelducks
shelducks – a dopping of shelducks
skylarks – an exultation of skylarks
snipe – a walk of snipe
snipe – a wisp of snipe
sparrows – a host of sparrows
sparrows – a quarrel of sparrows
sparrows – an ubiquity of sparrows
starlings – a murmuration of starlings
storks – a muster of storks
storks – a phalanx of storks
swallows – a flight of swallows
swallows – a gulp of swallows
swans – a gaggle of swans
swans (flying) – a wedge of swans
swans – a bank of swans
swans – a bevy of swans
swans – a whiteness of swans
swans – a herd of swans
swans – an eyrar of swans
swans – a gargle of swans

teal – a diving of teal
teal – a spring of teal
thrushes – a mutation of thrushes
turkeys – a gang of turkeys
turkeys – a raffle of turkeys
turkeys – a rafter of turkeys
turtle doves – a dole of turtle doves
turtle doves – a pitying of turtle doves

vultures – a committee of vultures
vultures – a venue of vultures
vultures – a volt of vultures
vultures – a wake of vultures
vultures (in flight) – a kettle of vultures

waterfowl – a knob of waterfowl
waterfowl – a plump of waterfowl
waxwings – a museum of waxwings
wigeon – a coil of wigeon
woodpeckers – a descent of woodpeckers
woodpeckers – a gatling of woodpeckers
woodcocks – a fall of woodcocks
wrens – a herd of wrens

Love it BD Will test some out on my OH

Regards

Kathy and Dave

This is a very helpful and informative list, which contains some funny phrases. A band of jays, mischief of magpies, murder of crows and conspiracy of ravens? The English language did the crow family dirty.
When the hawks are sitting they just form an ordinary kettle, but when they fly, the kettle starts to boil.
And of course, you don't want a volt of vultures to boil, because when they fly they too become a kettle.
A stand of egrets wait for the train at the station of herons.
When the teal dive, they're a diving, till they spring back to the surface as a, well, spring.
A bind of sandpipers and a fling of sandpipers are certainly quite a contradiction.
If you anger a carol or a gift or robins, they'll turn into a riot.
The members of the plover family have a congregation, but amongst this congregation of golden plovers and a trip of dotterel, there lurks a deceit of lapwing.
Ironically, when there's a walk of snipe, there's a fall of woodcock.
The richness of martins are much more successful than their cousins, who call themselves a gulp.

Anyway, I really like this post. Thanks a lot.

I'd be slightly critical of some of the collectives and question their veracity and history. A number appear to have very modern language or constructs/associations.

e.g.
hens – a brood of hens (technically only applicable to breeding females)
pelicans – a scoop of pelicans
pigeons – a dropping of pigeons
pigeons – a loft of pigeons
robins – a bobbin of robins
robins – a round of robins
sparrows – an ubiquity of sparrows (not as ubiquitous as they used to be)
starlings – a murmuration of starlings
vultures – a wake of vultures
waxwings – a museum of waxwings

Two shine out for me as being quite old.

sea fowl – a cloud of sea fowl

I don't think we refer to shorebirds as 'fowl' any more. And it certainly decribes the flight of some species as the incoming tide impinges on their feeding ground.

mudhen – a fleet of mudhen. I'm gonna have to ponder over that one.

Just my proverbial tuppence worth.

Although the source of the list appears to be birdspot.co.uk, it is clear many of the list are North American so inevitably not that old (or appropriate?).

In reply to ItisaRobbo:

the museum of wawings could easily be a two swords of waxwings

In reply to tuwit:

I am the worst person on the planet for solving cryptic puzzles.

In reply to ItisaRobbo:

Don't worry. My thoughts run in mysterious ways.

Think "waxwork museum".

Think Madame Tussauds (and then there's that homophone).

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