![]() ![]() ![]() You can also get a free 30-day free trial to the Macquarie Dictionary and Thesaurus. If there are any others we've missed, you can suggest a word or let us know. The list below includes many common standard English terms, such as a pod of whales and a pack of dogs, as well as more arcane terms such as a clowder of cats and a descension of woodpeckers. Troop, coalition, and mane are the other collective nouns for lions. Actual evidence of these 'proper' terms in genuine use is either sketchy or non-existent. Conclusion: Lions are majestic creatures and their collective nouns of pride, troop, coalition, and mane are a testament to their strength and power. It may be noted that despite the existence of these collective nouns, ordinarily a group of plovers, starlings or owls will most likely be denoted, in both spoken and written English, by the term flock and not congregation, murmuration or parliament. In imitation of these medieval terms many new terms of a similar nature have been coined in recent times, such as a crash of rhinoceroses. Whether these terms were ever actually used by hunters is doubtful, but a few have in the end become a part of the standard English vocabulary, and scholars from the 19th century onwards have been diligent in reproducing these medieval lists, with greater and less accuracy, so that many of these terms are today still known as the 'proper' terms for a group of some stated animal or bird, even though their use outside this limited domain is virtually non-existent. Foxes have a bit of a reputation for being sneaky so this word seems to work quite well! A group of wild cats is called a ‘destruction’, probably with good reason.Ĭollective noun options for mongooses include 'business' and 'rush' - both referring to the frenetic pace at which they go about their daily search for food, relying mainly on their acute sense of smell.A number of medieval sources provided lists of collective nouns for various animals and birds, purportedly as technical hunting terms, although clearly fanciful in origin. The collective noun for flamingos is flamboyance Names for Groups of Birds. The word skulk comes from a Scandinavian word and generally means to wait, lurk or move stealthily. Some collective nouns are very general: herd is used with herbivore animals such as. Here are collective noun examples: a herd of sheep. Owls are associated with wisdom so a group of owls is called a ‘parliament’ (hmm not so sure about that one!)Ī group of foxes is called a ‘skulk’. A collective noun is the name given to a group or collection of one type of thing. A nest of squirrels is called a ‘dray’ but is a ‘scurry’ for a group of unrelated males. Other collective nouns for specific horse groups include rag/bachelor herd (colts), troop (military horses), stud (breeding horses), and a string (horses that belong to one person).Ī ‘congregation’ of alligators or crocodiles – I suppose you could liken that to a group of people (congregation) raptly watching a preacher, but in this case the preacher might be you, the target!Ī ‘pride’ of lions we have probably all heard of, perhaps because of their regal and stately quality, but I came across a ‘mob’ of emus, which also applies to kangaroos.Ī ‘troop’ of monkeys is quite common, and a group of armadillos is called a ‘roll’ (probably as they tend to roll up when they are threatened). ‘Herd’ is the commonly used name for a group of cattle, elephants or deer, but also horses. Another possible origin comes from people who view the ‘appearance of crows as an omen of death.’ While some animals collective names have become quite well-known over the years, most are still fairly obscure, and some are just downright strange. No doubt you have heard of a ‘pack of wolves’ or a ‘flock of sheep’ – most people have – but there are some really weird ones out there that I stumbled on recently.Ī ‘Murder’ of crows is verging on the unusual, one theory being that crows often will come together and ‘decide the capital fate of another crow.’ (That doesn’t sound very neighbourly!). ![]()
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