Glossary
All the collective nouns used in the book ‘Treasure Beyond Measure’ have been researched yet none are definitive. That’s the beauty of language -it’s constantly evolving and allows us to be as creative as we want to be when describing groups of animals.
Collective nouns have been used in the English Language for hundreds of years. They developed from words that captured people’s imagination and were gradually accepted into to everyday language. Generally they take what we know about the animal and use a feature to describe a group. Take lizards for instance, known to lounge around in the sun – so it’s no surprise to learn that a group is called ‘a lounge of lizards’. Similarly, giraffes are tall ;towers are tall; so it’s logical that a group of giraffes is called ‘a tower’. However, some animals have rather unusual collective nouns, the origin of which is unknown. For example, ‘a cabinet of yaks’ and ‘an implausibility of gnus’.
Many animals have more than one collective noun. In the book, Helen uses ‘a stand of flamingos’ but a group of flamingos is also known as ‘a flamboyance’. Either can be used.
Some animals share the same collective noun. We know that ‘herd’ and ‘flock’ are common terms for groups of animals but there’s something special about a word that’s been chosen for a unique species.
Other animals have different collective nouns depending on their location or activity. For instance, a group of otters on land are called ‘a romp’ yet in the water, they are known as ‘a raft’.
Some animals don’t even have a collective nouns because they are generally solitary creatures – for example, koala and octopus – but that doesn’t stop us making up a collective noun if we really want to!
This glossary lists alphabetically some of the terms used for many, but not all, creatures. You may find animals listed that you’ve never heard of, why not take a moment to find out a bit more about them? Or if your favourite animal isn’t listed, you could find it out for yourself or create your own collective noun for it.
aardvark |
armoury |
albatross |
rookery, weight |
alligators |
congregation |
ants |
army, bike, colony, nest, swarm (flying) |
antelope |
herd, cluster, tribe |
apes |
shrewdness, troop |
baboons |
troop, flange |
bacteria |
culture |
badgers |
cete, clan, colony |
barracudas |
battery |
bass |
shoal, fleet |
bats |
colony, cloud |
bears |
sloth, sleuth, |
bear cubs |
litter |
beavers |
colony, family, lodge |
bees |
grist, hive swarm |
bellbirds |
chiming, pealing, tintinnabulation |
birds |
brace, dissimulation (small birds), rush (migrating), volery (in aviary) |
bison |
herd |
bitterns |
sedge, siege, pretence |
bobolinks |
chain |
buffalo |
gang, obstinacy |
bullfinches |
bellowing |
buzzards |
wake, kettle, pack |
camels |
caravan, flock, train, herd |
capons |
mews |
capybara |
herd |
caribou |
herd |
caterpillars |
army |
cats |
clowder, pounce, destruction |
cattle |
drove, herd |
cheetah |
coalition |
chicks |
chattering, clutch |
chickens |
brood, peep |
chinchilla |
colony |
clams |
bed |
cobras |
quiver |
cockroaches |
intrusion |
cod |
lap |
coots |
cover |
corgi |
consort |
cormorants |
gulp |
cows |
herd, kine, flink, drift, drove, mob |
coyotes |
band, pack, rout, run |
crabs |
cast |
cranes |
sedge, seige |
crickets |
orchestra |
crocodiles |
bask, float, nest |
crows |
horde, murder, cauldron, caucus, cowardice, hover, muster, parcel, |
dachshunds |
moxie |
deer |
herd, bevy (only for roe deer) |
dodos |
extinction |
dogs |
pack (if wild), cowardice (curs), leash (greyhounds), sute (bloodhounds) cry, mute, pack, kennel (for hounds) |
dolphins |
pod |
donkeys |
drove, herd, pace |
dotterel |
trip |
doves |
dule, pitying (turtle doves only) |
dragons |
doom, flight, weyr, wing |
ducks |
team, balding, flock (flying), paddling, raft (on water) |
dunlins |
fling |
eagles |
aerie, convocation, jubilee, soar, spread |
eels |
bed, fry, swarm |
elephants |
herd, memory, parade |
emus |
mob |
elk |
gang |
falcons |
cast |
ferrets |
business, cast, fesnying |
finches |
charm, chirm, company, trembling, trimming |
fish |
draft, nest, school, shoal (live) catch, drought, haul (dead) |
flamingos |
stand, flamboyance, flurry, skein, regiment |
flies |
business, cloud, swarm, hatch, grist |
flying fish |
glide |
fox |
leash, skulk, earth, lead, troop |
frogs |
army, colony, knot, froggery |
geese |
flock, gaggle (grounded), skein (flying) |
giraffes |
tower, totter, stretch, herd, corps, journey |
gnats |
cloud, horde, swarm |
gnus |
implausibility, herd |
goats |
tribe, trip, drove, flock, herd, |
goldfish |
glint, troubling |
gorillas |
band, trip, woop |
goshawks |
flight |
grasshoppers |
cloud, cluster, swarm |
grouse |
pack |
guillemots |
bazaar |
guinea fowl |
confusion |
gulls |
colony |
hares |
down, husk, leap |
hawks |
boil (when spiraling in flight), cast, kettle (large numbers in flight) |
hedgehogs |
array, prickle |
herons |
sedge, siege |
herring |
army |
hippopotamuses |
bloat, thunder, huddle |
hornets |
bike, nest |
horses |
team, harras, rag (colts), stud horses owned by one person) |
hummingbirds |
charm, hover |
hyenas |
cackle , clan |
iguanas |
mess |
Impalas |
herd |
Insects |
horde, nest, plague, rabble, swarm |
jays |
party, scold, cast, band |
jellyfish |
brood, smack, fluther |
kakapo |
booming, rumble, trek |
kangaroos |
mob, troop, court, flock |
kittens (cats) |
kindle, litter, intrigue |
lambs |
fall |
lapwings |
deceit |
larks |
exaltation, ascension, happiness |
leopards |
leap |
lice |
flock |
lions |
pride, sault, troop, sowse |
lizards |
lounge |
locust |
plague |
lynx |
chain |
magpies |
charm, gulp, murder, tiding |
mallards |
sord (flying) |
martens |
richness |
mice |
mischief |
midges |
bite |
moles |
labour, company, slouch, movement |
monkeys |
troop, barrel, mission, tribe, cartload |
moose |
herd |
mosquitoes |
scourge |
mules |
pack, span, barren, rake |
mussels |
bed |
nightingales |
watch |
ostriches |
wobble, pride, flock |
otters |
bevy, family, raft, romp, ramp |
oxen |
team, yoke |
owls |
parliament, stare, wisdom, sagaciousness |
oysters |
bed |
parrots |
pandemonium, company, flock, prattle, psittacosis |
partridge |
covey, bevy, cover, warren, clutch, brace |
peacocks |
ostentation, muster, pride, pulchritude |
pelicans |
pod |
penguins |
colony, huddle, parade, parcel, rookery, waddle, icing, march |
pheasant |
bouquet, nest, nide, nye |
pigeons |
flight, flock, kit |
pigs |
drift, drove, team, litter (piglets), sounder (swine only) passel (hogs only), singular (for boars) |
plovers |
congregation, wing (when flying) |
polar bears |
aurora, pack |
polecats |
chine |
ponies |
string |
poodles |
salon |
porcupines |
prickle |
porpoises |
crowd, herd, pod, school, shoal, turmoil, gam |
ptarmigans |
covey |
puffins |
improbability, loomery |
pukekos |
potter, gawky |
pugs |
grumble |
quail |
bevy, covey |
rabbits |
colony, warren, next, herd (pets only), litter, wrack (young rabbits) |
raccoons |
gaze, mask, nursery |
rattlesnakes |
rhumba |
rats |
colony, pack, plague, swarm, mischief |
ravens |
storytelling, unkindness, conspiracy, constable, tower |
reindeer |
herd |
rhinoceroses |
crash, herd, stubbornness |
roebucks |
bevy |
rooks |
building, clamor, parliament |
ruffs |
hill |
salamanders |
congress |
sardines |
family |
scorpions |
bed, nest |
seabirds |
wreck, screech, squabble, flotilla |
seals |
bob, harem, herd, pod, spring, rockery, plump |
sharks |
shiver |
sheep |
drove, flock, herd |
sheldrakes |
doading |
skylarks |
exaltation |
skunks |
surfeit, stench |
slugs |
cornucopia |
snails |
escargatoire, rout, walk |
Snakes/vipers |
den, generation, knot, nest, pit |
snipe |
walk, wisp |
sparrows |
host, meinie, quarrel, ubiquity |
spiders |
cluster, clutter |
springbok |
herd |
squirrels |
dray, scurry |
starling |
murmuration |
stingrays |
fever |
stoats |
pack, trip |
storks |
mustering, phalanx, silence, swoop, flight |
swallows |
flight |
swans |
bevy, wedge (flying), regatta (on water) |
swifts |
flock |
takahe |
tussock |
teal |
spring, diving |
termites |
brood, colony, nest, swarm |
thrush |
mutation |
tigers |
ambush, streak, hide |
toads |
knab, knot, nest, lump |
tortoises |
creep |
toucans |
durante |
trout |
hover, shoal |
tui |
ecstasy |
turkeys |
gang, rafter, dule, gang, posse, raffle |
turtles |
bale, dole ,nest, turn |
unicorns |
blessing, glory, marvel |
vultures |
kettle (flying), venue |
walruses |
herd, pod, ugly |
wasps |
nest, swarm, pail |
waterfowls |
knob, plump, raft |
weasles |
gang, colony, pack, sneak |
whales |
pod, gam, herd, school, grind |
widgeons |
company |
wildfowl |
plump |
wolves |
pack, rout, route (when moving) |
wombats |
wisdom |
woodcocks |
fall |
woodpeckers |
descent, gatling |
worms |
bed, bunch, clat, clew, wriggle |
wrens |
herd |
zebras |
zeal, crossing, dazzle, cohort, herd, stripe |