Collective Nouns - Birds
(alternatives in brackets)
A colony of auks (flock, raft)
A colony of avocets
A flock of birds (dissimulation, fleet, flight, parcel, pod, volary, )
A sedge of bitterns (siege)
A chain of bobolinks
A bellowing of bullfinches
A flock of bustards
A wake of buzzards
A tok of capercaillies
A muse of capons
A brood of chickens (cletch, clutch, peep)
A chattering of choughs (clattering)
A covert of coots ( commotion, cover, fleet, flock, pod, rasp, swarm)
A flight of cormorants (gulp)
A sedge of cranes (herd, sedge, siege)
A murder of crows ( hover, muster, parcel)
A head of curlews (herd)
A trip of dotterels
A dole of doves ( dule, flight, piteousness, pitying, prettying)
A flush of ducks (badelynge, brace, bunch, dopping, flock, paddling, plump,
raft, safe, skein, sord, string, team)
A flight of dunbirds (rush)
A fling of dunlins
A convocation of eagles (aerie)
A cast of falcons
A charm of finches (chirm, trembling, trimming)
A stand of flamingos
A gaggle of geese (flock, plump, skein, team, wedge)
A charm of goldfinches (chattering, drum, troubling)
A dopping of goosanders
A flight of goshawks
A covey of grouse (brace, brood, flight, pack)
A bazaar of guillemots
A colony of gulls
A mews of hawks (aerie, cast, kettle, mew, moulting, screw, stream)
A brood of hens
A sedge of herons (flight, hedge, rookery, siege)
A charm of hummingbirds (chattering, drum, troubling)
A colony of ibises
A band of jays (party, scold)
A desert of lapwings (deceit)
A parcel of linnets
An exaltation of larks (ascension, bevy, flight)
A congregation of magpies (charm, flock, gulp, murder, tiding, tittering,
tribe, )
A sord of mallards (flush, puddling, sute)
A plump of moorhens
A fleet of mudhens
A watch of nightingales (match, pray)
A pride of ostriches (flock)
A parliament of owls (stare)
A fling of oxbirds
A company of parrots (flock, pandemonium, psittacosis)
A covey of partridges (bevy, bew, clutch, warren)
A muster of peacocks (ostentation, pride)
A pod of pelicans (scoop)
A colony of penguins (parcel, rookery)
A cadge of peregrines
A nye of pheasants (bouquet, head, nide, warren, )
A flight of pigeons (flock, kit, passel, )
A knob of pintails [small number]
A congregation of plovers (band, flight, leash, stand, wing)
A rush of pochards (flight, knob[small number])
A run of poultry
A covey of ptarmigans
A bevy of quails (covey, drift)
An unkindness of ravens (aerie, conspiracy)
A crowd of redwings
A parliament of rooks (building, clamour, congregation, shoal, wing)
A hill of ruffs
A fling of sandpipers
A cloud of seafowls
A squabble of seagulls
A dopping of sheldrakes (doading)
A walk of snipes (wisp)
A host of sparrows (meinie, quarrel, tribe, ubiquity)
A murmuration of starlings (chattering, cloud, congregation, clutter)
A mustering of storks (flight, phalanx)
A flight of swallows (gulp)
A herd of swans (bank, bevy, drift, eyrar, game, herd, lamentation, sownder,
squadron, team, wedge, whiteness, whiting)
A flock of swifts
A spring of teals (bunch, coil, knob, raft)
A mutation of thrushes
A flock of turkeys (dole, dule, raffle, raft, rafter, posse)
A pitying of turtledoves
A colony of vultures (committee, wake)
A plump of waterfowls (bunch, knob, raft)
A company of widgeons (bunch, coil, flight, knob, trip)
A trip of wildfowls (bunch, knob, lute, plump,scry, skein, sord, sute)
A fall of woodcocks (covey, flight, plump)
A descent of woodpeckers
A herd of wrens (flock)
Collective Nouns - Mammals
(alternatives in brackets)
A cluster of antelopes (herd, tribe)
A shrewdness of apes (troop)
A pace of asses (drove, coffle, herd)
A flange of baboons (congress, troop)
A cete of badgers (colony)
A cloud of bats (colony)
A sloth of bears (sleuth)
A colony of beavers (family, lodge)
A herd of bisons (gang)
A sute of bloodhounds
A herd of boars (singular)
A sounder of boars, wild [12+]
A herd of bucks (leash)
A gang of buffalos (herd, obstinacy)
A drove of bullocks
A flock of camels (caravan, herd, train)
A herd of caribous
A clowder of cats (glaring, cluster, clutter)
A destruction of cats, wild (dout, dowt)
A herd of cattle (drift, drove, mob)
A herd of chamois
A coalition of cheetahs
A colony of chinchillas
A rake of colts (rack, rag)
A bury of conies (game)
A flink of cows [12+]
A pack of coyotes (band, rout)
A litter of cubs
A cowardice of curs
A herd of deers (bunch, leash, mob, parcel, rangale)
A pack of dogs (kennel)
A pod of dolphins
A herd of donkeys (drove)
A herd of elands
A herd of elephants (parade)
A gang of elks (herd)
A business of ferrets (cast, fesnying)
A skulk of foxes (earth, lead, leash, troop)
A brace of geldings
A horde of gerbils
A journey of giraffes (corps, group, herd, tower)
A herd of gnus (implausibility)
A trip of goats (flock, herd, trip, tribe)
A band of gorillas (whoop)
A leash of greyhounds
A group of guinea pigs
A horde of hamsters
A drove of hares (down, flick, herd, husk, kindle, leash, trace, trip)
A herd of harts
A herd of hartebeests
A array of hedgehogs (prickle)
A parcel of hinds
A bloat of hippopotami (crash, herd, pod, school, thunder)
A drift of hogs (drove, parcel)
A stable of horses (drove, harras, herd, remuda, string, stud, team)
A pack of hounds (cry, hunt, kennel, leash, meet, mute, stable, sute)
A clan of hyenas
A herd of ibexes
A couple of impalas
A husk of jackrabbits
A mob of kangaroos (troop)
A kindle of kittens (litter)
A fall of lambs
A leap of leopards (lepe)
A kindle of leverets
A pride of lions (flock, sault, sawt, sowse, troop)
A herd of llamas
A stud of mares
A richness of martens (richesse)
A mischief of mice (horde, nest, trip)
A labour of moles (company, movement)
A band of mongooses (pack)
A troop of monkeys (cartload, mission, tribe, wilderness)
A herd of moose
A barren of mules (pack, rake, span)
A family of otters (bevy, raft, romp)
A team of oxen (drove, herd, meinie, span, yoke)
A pomp of pekingese
A drove of pigs (drift, flock, herd)
A doylt of pigs, tame
A sounder of pigs, wild
A farrow of piglets (litter)
An aurora of polar bears (pack)
A chine of polecats
A string of ponies (herd)
A prickle of porcupines
A school of porpoises (herd, pod)
A coterie of prarie dogs (town)
A litter of pups
A gaze of raccoons (nursery)
A colony of rabbits (bury, drove, flick, kindle, leash, nest, trace, warren,
wrack)
A field of racehorses (string)
A nursery of racoons
A colony of rats (horde, mischief, swarm)
A crash of rhinoceroses (herd, stubbornness)
A bevy of roe deers
A colony of seals (harem, herd, pod, rookery, spring)
A flock of sheep (down, drift, drove, fold, herd, meinie, mob, parcel, trip)
A surfeit of skunks
A dray of squirrels (colony)
A pack of stoats (trip)
A drove of swine (herd)
A doylt of swine, tame (drift, trip)
A sounder of swine, wild [12+]
An ambush of tigers (streak)
A blessing of unicorns
A colony of voles
A huddle of walruses (herd, ugly)
A mob of wallabyies
A sneak of weasels (gang, pack)
A school of whales (float, gam, herd, mob, pod, run, shoal, troup)
A grind of whales, bottle-nosed
A destruction of wildcats (dout)
A herd of wildebeests
A pack of wolves (herd, rout)
A mob of wombats
A herd of yaks
A cohort of zebras (herd, zeal)
Collective Nouns - Invertebrates
(alternatives in brackets)
A culture of bacteria
A stuck of jellyfish (fluther, smack, smuth)
A clew of worms
Collective Nouns - Insects and Arachnids
(alternatives in brackets)
A colony of ants (army, bike, swarm)
A swarm of bees (bike, cast, cluster, drift, erst, game, grist, hive, rabble,
stand)
A bike of bees, wild
A flight of butterflies (kaleidoscope, rabble, swarm)
An army of caterpillars
An intrusion of cockroaches
A swarm of flies (business, cloud, grist, hatch)
A cloud of gnats (horde, rabble, swarm)
A cloud of grasshoppers (cluster, swarm)
A bike of hornets (nest, swarm)
A flight of insects (horde, plague, rabble, swarm)
A flock of lice (colony, infestation)
A plague of locusts (cloud, swarm)
A scourge of mosquitos (swarm)
A clutter of spiders (cluster)
A colony of termites (swarm)
A colony of wasps (bike, nest)
Collective Nouns - Molluscs
A bed of clams
A bed of cockles
A bed of mussels
A bed of oysters (hive)
An escargatoire of snails (rout, walk)
Collective Nouns - Fish
(alternatives in brackets)
A company of angel fish
A company of archer fish
A battery of baracudas
A shoal of barbels
A fleet of bass (shoal)
A grind of blackfish
A school of butterfly fish
A school of cod
A swarm of dragonet fish
A troop of dogfish
A flock of dolphins (school, team)
A swarm of eels
A shoal of fish (catch, draught, fray, haul, run, school)
A glide of flying fish
A glint of goldfish (troubling)
A glean of herrings (army, shoal)
A shoal of mackerels
A shoal of minnows (steam, stream, swarm)
A pack of perch
A shoal of pilchards (school)
A cluster of porcupine fish
A gam of porpoises (herd, pod, school, turmoil)
A party of rainbow fish
A shoal of roach
A bind of salmons (draught, leap, run, school, shoal)
A family of sardines
A herd of seahorses
A shoal of shads
A shiver of sharks (school, shoal)
A troup of shrimps
A quantity of smelts
A shoal of sticklebacks (spread)
A flotilla of swordfish
A hover of trouts (shoal)
A float of tunas (troup)
A pod of whitings
Collective Nouns - Amphibians and Reptiles
(alternatives in brackets)
A quiver of cobras
A bask of crocodiles (congregation, float, nest)
A herd of dinosaurs (pack)
A flight of dragons (weyr, wing)
An army of frogs (colony, froggery, knot)
A mess of iguanas
A rhumba of rattlesnakes
A den of snakes (bed, knot, nest, pit, trogle)
A knot of toads (knob, nest)
A bale of turtles (dule, turn)
A nest of vipers (generation)
Collective Nouns - People
(alternatives in brackets)
A faculty of academics
A troupe of acrobats
A cast of actors/players (company, cry)
A bench of aldermen
A conflagration of arsonists
A troupe of artistes
A team of athletes
A tabernacle of bakers
A babble of barbers
A promise of barmen
A thought of barons
A squad of beaters
A bevy of beauties (galaxy)
A bench of bishops (psalter)
A blush of boys
A troop of boy scouts
A feast of brewers
A pack of Brownies
A shuffle of bureaucrats
A goring of butchers
A sneer of butlers
A slate of candidates
A chapter of canons (dignity)
A company of capitalists (syndicate)
A congregation of churchgoers
A school of clerks
A cutting of cobblers (drunkship)
A hastiness of cooks
A shrivel of critics
A cowardice of curs
A troupe of dancers
A decanter of deans (decorum)
A caravan of desert travellers
A board of directors
An obstruction of dons
A staff of employees
A panel of experts
A stalk of foresters
A talent of gamblers
A company of girl guides
A galaxy of governesses
A conjunction of grammarians
A herd of harlots
A melody of harpists
An observance of hermits
A gang of hoodlums
A cavalcade of horsemen
A blast of hunters
A bench of judges (sentence)
A neverthriving of jugglers
A banner of knights (rout)
A bevy of ladies
An eloquence of lawyers
A colony of lepers
An audience of listeners
An illusion of magicians
A bench of magistrates
A riches of matrons
A morbidity of majors
A band of men
A faith of merchants
A diligence of messengers
A troupe of minstrels
A side of morris dancers
A cortege of mourners
An orchestra of musicians
A tribe of natives
A superfluity of nuns
A crowd of onlookers
A curse of painters (illusion, misbelieving)
A malapertness of pedlars
A crowd of people (audience, congregation, mob)
A troupe of performers (troup)
A skirl of pipers (poverty)
A posse of police
A converting of preachers
A pity of prisoners (gang)
A band of robbers
A crew of sailors
A scolding of seamstresses
A house of senators
A subtlety of sergeants at law
An obeisance of servants
A posse of sheriffs
A blackening of shoemakers
A choir of singers
A squad of soldiers (army, brigade, company, division, muster, platoon, troop)
A class of students
A simplicity of subalterns
A disguising of tailors
A glozing of taverners
A den of thieves (gang)
A board of trustees
A flock of tourists
An unction of undertakers
A prudence of vicars
An ambush of widows
A coven of witches
A gaggle of women
A gang of workmen
A congregation of worshippers
A worship of writers
A fellowship of yeomen
Collective Nouns - Miscellaneous
(alternatives in brackets)
A wing of aircraft (flight)
A host of angels (chorus)
A quiver of arrows
A bundle of asparagus
A belt of asteroids
A bunch of bananas (hand)
A grove of bayonets
A carillon of bells (change, peal)
A library of books
A batch of bread (caste)
A bavin of brushwood
A fleet of cars
A pack of cards (deck, hand)
A network of computers
A dossier of documents
A clutch of eggs
A bundle of firewood
A bed of flowers (bouquet, bunch, patch)
A colony of fungi
A pantheon of gods
A bunch of grapes (cluster)
A battery of guns
A budget of inventions
A chain of islands (archipelago)
A cache of jewels
A ring of keys
A fleet of lorries (convoy)
A rouleau of coins
A collective of nouns
A bank of monitors
A range of mountains
A troop of mushrooms
A rope of onions
A coterie of orchids
A budget of papers
A string of pearls (rope)
A pod of peas
A phantasmagoria of phantoms
An anthology of poems
A rosary of quotations (mellificium)
A clump of reeds
A rabble of remedies
A nest of rumours
A fleet of ships (armada, flotilla)
A pair of shoes
A shrubbery of shrubs
A flight of stairs
A galaxy of stars (constellation)
An anthology of stories
An agenda of tasks
A stand of trees (clump, forest, grove)
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