My wildlife blog list now covers countries all around the world. It is so very interesting to read about different birding experiences, visit new landscapes, and view the gorgeous pictures of birds I've never heard of before! I've learned many new words as I've read through these posts! So when I spotted an article entitled: Names of Groups of Birds, my interest was peeked. Here is what I found in a nutshell:
"The collective nouns for different groups of birds can be a fun bit of birding lingo to use when describing what you see in the field." Here is a list from Melissa Mayntz in an article she wrote for About.com Birding.
•Birds of Prey (hawks, falcons): Cast, cauldron, kettle
•Cormorants: Flight
•Crows: Murder, congress, horde
•Ducks: Raft, team, paddling
•Eagles: Convocation, congregation
•Finches: Charm
•Flamingos: Flamboyance
•Game Birds (quail, grouse, ptarmigan): Covey, pack, bevy
•Geese: Skein, wedge, gaggle, plump
•Gulls: Colony
•Herons: Siege, sedge, scattering
•Hummingbirds: Charm
•Jays: Band, party, scold
•Larks: Bevy, exaltation, ascension
•Owls: Parliament, wisdom, study
•Pelicans: Squadron, pod, scoop
•Penguins: Colony, huddle
•Pheasants: Nye, bevy, bouquet
•Plovers: Congregation : Host, quarrel, knot
•Starlings: Chattering, affliction
•Swallows: Flight, gulp
•Swans: Wedge, ballet, lamentation
•Woodpeckers: Descent
•Wrens: Herd
•Ravens: Murder, congress, horde
•Rooks: Clamour, parliament
•Sparrows, chime
I do so like the sound of "a charm of hummingbirds" or "a chime of sparrows"! A "congress of ravens"! And sometimes, "an affliction of starlings" is exactly right!!
I thought the words associated with pelicans were interesting, especially if you manipulate them a bit. When a whole squadron of them converge, that pod and scoop might as well merge.
ReplyDeleteW2W, we had fun with this at dinnertime ourselves, making up new terms for different 'groups' of wildlife, not just birds! We had a few good laughs! ~karen
ReplyDeleteVery interesting! A murder of crows or ravens. Very funny.
ReplyDeleteCharm fits the hummingbird just right.
I've always been fascinated by collective nouns. A kettle of hawks and a bouquet of pheasants sound amusing. I recently learned that a group of cedar waxwings is an ear-full or a museum. :D
ReplyDeleteOh thanks for posting this, we will definitely be incorporating some of these terms as soon we learn which birds which ---
ReplyDeleteWe are such amateurs at birding!
-We just like the way they look, but we are learning more and more from our new birding blog friends.
: )
Have a great week.
Darryl and Ruth
Karen,
ReplyDeleteI am please to let you know that I have awarded you the Sunshine Award for your blog. Please see my blog on how to collect. Very well deserved...
John
this is great..i wish i had thought of it..i like the 'quarrel' of plovers...wonder where all these words came from....michelle
ReplyDeleteThis is so interesting !! Nice post !!
ReplyDeleteKaren: That is a great list. Surely had a chattering of starling in the yard today.
ReplyDeleteGreat List!! Thanks! I've always loved the charm of hummingbirds! Of course there can be bumming herds of hummingbirds - that's not so charming! :*)
ReplyDelete"affliction" surely belongs with "starlings" but a "murder of crows" remains my favorite. "a parliament of owls is a close second"
ReplyDeleteWhat fun. I love these.
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting My Muskoka !
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I found a poem about this. I must post it!
I love looking and learning about bird, I don't see much around me, but little hummingbirds, do come around sometime. Nice post!
ReplyDeleteso very interesting!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great list, Karen! I had just looked up the collective noun for jays today because I keep meaning to write about my green jays--a group is called a scold, which is a perfect description! In writing my last post I looked up Caracaras and found that a group of falcons can be a "bazaar" which I thought was interesting. (I don't think I wrote that in the post but I thought of it today as I saw three of the big birds sitting in the same tree as we returned home from a visit to our daughters.)
ReplyDeleteYour post, as always is great! I agree about the hummingbirds. -kay
I like the words that evoke images of the birds eating: a scoop of pelicans, a gulp of swallows. And the ones that make us hear their sounds: a scold of Jays; an exaltation of Larks; a chattering of starlings, lamentation of swans, chime of sparrows--really delightful! Thank you, Karen, for bringing this to us.
ReplyDeleteI'll never be able to remember them all but I'd like to. Some are so cute!
ReplyDeleteVery interesting this post!
ReplyDeleteThank you, all, for stopping by my post! It was so nice to read your comments. Marinela, thank you for becoming a follower! ~karen
ReplyDeleteI missed the "herd of Wrens" first time through. Good luck with that - you think herding cats is hard?
ReplyDelete