When conducting research for the blog on Barb’s great Rubber Ducky Race in July, the rather creative term for a group of ducks, “a paddling” (along with several others as in the headline above), got us wondering how much fun it would be to see 
what words our imaginative ancestors came up with to describe groups of other animals. And sure enough, it was certainly an interesting delve into history, conflict and clever interpretation dating, in some cases, back to the 16th century.
In an effort to bring you the most popularly accepted names for the different groups of animals we researched several volumes of respected sources, weaving through increasing idiomatic complexities, so we combined many of 
the more obviously suited descriptions from four main resources: Oxford English Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Dictionary of the English Language, Free Online Dictionary (which apparently uses a lot of information from Merriam-Webster) and the U.S. Geological Survey Study of collective animal groups.
Even though you will notice some very appropriate names for some of the groups (i.e. a “parade” of elephants, conjuring up the circus coming to town), it was indeed a restraint of painful proportions to keep from adding to this list new groups and new titles, but, alas, another day perhaps. We hope you enjoy the collection below!
| Mammals | |
| Apes | A shrewdness |
| Asses | A pace |
| Badgers | A cete |
| Bats | A colony |
| Bears | A sloth, sleuth |
| Buffalo | A gang, an obstinacy (I suspect these refer to old world buffalo; use “herd” for American bison) |
| Cats | A clowder, a pounce; for kittens…A kindle, litter, an intrigue |
| Cattle | A drove (when moving), herd |
| Deer | A herd, bevy (refers only to roe deer) |
| Dogs | A litter (young), pack (wild), cowardice (of curs); specific to hounds…A cry, mute, pack, kennel |
| Elephants | A herd, a parade |
| Elk | A gang |
| Ferrets | A business |
| Foxes | A leash, skulk, earth |
| Giraffes | A tower |
| Goats | A tribe, trip |
| Gorillas | A band |
| Hares | A down, a mute, a husk |
| Hippopotamuses | A bloat |
| Horses | A team, harras, rag (for colts), stud (a group of horses belonging to a single owner, string (ponies) |
| Hyenas | A cackle |
| Kangaroos | A troop |
| Leopards | A leap |
| Lions | A pride |
| Martens | A richness |
| Moles | A labor |
| Monkeys | A troop, barrel |
| Mules | A pack, span, barren |
| Otters | A romp |
| Oxen | A team, yoke |
| Pigs | A drift, drove, litter (young), sounder (of swine), team, passel (of hogs), singular (refers to a group of boars) |
| Porcupines | A prickle |
| Rabbits | A colony, warren, nest, herd (domestic only), litter (young); specific to hares…A down, husk |
| Rhinoceroses | A crash |
| Seals | A pod, herd |
| Sheep | A drove, flock, herd |
| Squirrels | A dray, scurry |
| Tigers | A streak |
| Whales | A pod, gam, herd |
| Wild Boars | A sounder |
| Wolves | A pack, rout or route (when in movement) |
| Birds | |
| Birds in general | A flight (in the air), flock (on the ground), volary, brace (generally for game birds or waterfowl, referring to a pair or couple killed by a hunter) |
| Bitterns | A sedge |
| Buzzards | A wake |
| Bobolinks | A chain |
| Chicks (of many species) | A brood; clutch |
| Coots | A cover |
| Cormorants | A gulp |
| Cranes | A sedge |
| Crows | A murder, horde |
| Dotterel | A trip |
| Doves | A dule, pitying (specific to turtle doves) |
| Ducks | A brace, flock (in flight), raft (on water) team, paddling (on water), badling |
| Eagles | A convocation |
| Falcons | A cast (when taking flight at same time) |
| Finches | A charm |
| Flamingos | A stand |
| Geese | A flock, gaggle (on the ground), skein or team or wedge (in flight) |
| Grouse | A pack (in late season) |
| Gulls | A colony |
| Hawks | A cast, kettle (flying in large numbers), boil (two or more spiraling in flight) |
| Herons | A sedge, a siege |
| Jays | A party, scold |
| Lapwings | A deceit, a desert |
| Larks | An exaltation |
| Mallards | A sord (in flight), brace |
| Magpies | A tiding, gulp, murder, charm, tittering |
| Nightingales | A watch |
| Owls | A parliament |
| Parrots | A company, a pandemonium |
| Partridge | A covey |
| Peacocks | A muster, an ostentation |
| Penguins | A colony, a parcel |
| Pheasant | A nest, nide (a brood), nye, bouquet |
| Plovers | A congregation, wing (in flight) |
| Ptarmigans | A covey |
| Rooks | A building, a parliament |
| Quail | A bevy, covey |
| Ravens | An unkindness |
| Snipe | A walk, a wisp |
| Sparrows | A host |
| Starlings | A murmuration |
| Storks | A mustering |
| Swallows | A flight, a gulp |
| Swans | A bevy, wedge (in flight) |
| Teal | A spring |
| Turkeys | A rafter, gang |
| Widgeons | A company |
| Woodcocks | A fall, (slowest bird in world: at 5mph still doesn’t fall) |
| Woodpeckers | A descent |
| Reptiles and Amphibians | |
| Crocodiles | A bask |
| Frogs | An army |
| Toads | A knot |
| Turtles | A bale, nest |
| Snakes, vipers | A nest |
| Invertebrates | |
| Ants | A colony |
| Bees | A grist, hive, swarm, drift, erst |
| Caterpillars | An army |
| Clams | A bed |
| Cockroaches | An intrusion |
| Flies | A business |
| Gnats | A cloud, horde |
| Grasshoppers | A cloud |
| Hornets | A nest |
| Jellyfish | A smack, a fluther |
| Locusts | A plague |
| Oysters | A bed |
| Fish | |
| Fish in general | A draft, nest, school, shoal (some authors claim that the common “school” is a corruption of shoal, and therefore incorrect) |
| Bass | A shoal |
| Herring | An army |
| Sharks | A shiver |
| Trout | A hover |
This blog is powered by www.sonoranresorts.mx, Jim Ringquist, Director of Sales and Marketing.
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