Have you ever heard a group of lions being referred to as a “pride”? Or a flock of birds as a “murder”? These fascinating and often unusual terms are what we call collective nouns for animals. They bring a sense of poetry and imagination to our language while beautifully capturing the essence of unity among creatures.
Imagine this: You’re out in the countryside, soaking up the serene ambiance, and suddenly you stumble upon a gathering of geese. What would you call them? A bunch of geese, perhaps? Well, that’s one way to put it, but did you know they are also called a “gaggle”? That’s right! A gaggle of geese waddling around in perfect unison is a sight to behold.
Let’s take a delightful journey through the animal kingdom and explore some collective nouns for animals:
Collective Nouns for Animals
Here’s a list of collective nouns for animals:
- Apes: Shrewdness
- Antelope: Herd or Cluster
- Ants: Colony
- Baboons: Troop or Flange
- Bats: Colony or Cloud
- Bears: Sleuth or Sloth
- Bees: Swarm, Grist, or Hive
- Birds (in general): Flock or Flight
- Buffalo: Herd or Gang
- Butterflies: Flutter or Kaleidoscope
- Camels: Caravan or Flock
- Cats: Clowder, Pounce, or Glaring
- Cattle: Herd or drove
- Cheetahs: Coalition
- Chickens: Brood, Peep, or Clutch
- Cobras: Quiver
- Cockroaches: Intrusion
- Crocodiles: Bask or Float
- Crows: Murder or Horde
- Deer: Herd or Leash
- Dolphins: Pod or School
- Donkeys: Drove or Herd
- Ducks: Flock or Brace
- Eagles: Convocation
- Elephants: Herd or Parade
- Elk: Gang or Herd
- Falcons: Cast
- Ferrets: Business or Cast
- Fish: Shoal or School
- Flamingos: Stand or Flamboyance
- Foxes: Skulk or Leash
- Frogs: Army
- Geese: Gaggle or Skein (in flight)
- Giraffes: Tower
- Gnus: Implausibility or Herd
- Goats: Tribe or Trip
- Gorillas: Band or Troop
- Grasshoppers: Cloud or Swarm
- Hawks: Cast or Kettle
- Hippos: Bloat or Crash
- Hornets: Nest or Bike
- Horses: Herd or Team
- Hyenas: Clan or Cackle
- Jellyfish: Smack or Brood
- Kangaroos: Troop or Mob
- Kittens: Intrigue or Kindle
- Lions: Pride or Sawt
- Llamas: Herd or Flock
- Magpies: Tiding or Gulp
- Mallards: Sord or Brace
- Monkeys: Troop or Barrel
- Moose: Herd or Gang
- Mosquitoes: Scourge
- Mules: Pack or Span
- Nightingales: Watch
- Otters: Raft or Romp
- Owls: Parliament
- Pandas: Embarrassment
- Parrots: Pandemonium or Company
- Peacocks: Muster or Ostentation
- Penguins: Colony or Rookery
- Pheasants: Nye or Bouquet
- Pigs: Herd or Drift
- Pigeons: Flight or Flock
- Porcupines: Prickle
- Porpoises: Pod, School, or Herd
- Rabbits: Warren or Colony
- Rats: Mischief or Colony
- Ravens: Unkindness or Conspiracy
- Rhinoceroses: Crash or Stubbornness
- Sheep: Flock or Herd
- Skunks: Surfeit
- Snakes: Den or Nest
- Sparrows: Host or Quarrel
- Spiders: Cluster
- Squirrels: Dray or Scurry
- Starlings: Murmuration or Chattering
- Swallows: Flight or Gulp
- Swans: Bevy, Game, or Wedge (in flight)
- Termites: Colony
- Tigers: Ambush or Streak
- Toads: Knot
- Turkeys: Rafter or Gang
- Turtles: Bale or Turn
- Vipers: Generation
- Vultures: Wake or Venue
- Walruses: Herd or Pod
- Wasps: Nest or Swarm
- Weasels: Gang or Pack
- Whales: Pod, Gam, or School
- Wolves: Pack or Route
- Woodpeckers: Descent
- Worms: Bed or Clew
- Wrens: Herd or Chime
- Zebras: Zeal or Dazzle
