A collective noun is a word that names a group of people, animals, or things treated as a single entity. For example, a ‘class’ is the collective noun for students. A class is grammatically treated as a singular object even though it’s composed of multiple students.
For reasons unbeknownst to me, people really love coming up with ridiculous and silly collective nouns for animals. For example, a ‘business’ is the collective noun for ferrets.
Below is my collection.
| Animals | Collective Noun |
|---|---|
| Tigers | Ambush |
| Hedgehogs | Array |
| Ants, Caterpillars, Frogs | Army |
| Larks | Ascension |
| Ducks | Badling |
| Turtles | Bale |
| Swans | Ballet |
| Coyotes, Gorillas, Jays, Men | Band |
| Monkeys | Barrel |
| Mules | Barren |
| Crocodiles | Bask |
| Barracudas | Battery |
| Guillemots | Bazaar |
| Clams, Eels, Oysters, Snakes | Bed |
| Quail, Roebucks, Swans | Bevy |
| Hippos | Bloat |
| Pheasants | Bouquet |
| Ducks, Grouse | Brace |
| Chicks, Hens, Pheasants | Brood |
| Rooks | Building |
| Conies, Rabbits | Bury |
| Ferrets, Flies | Business |
| Camels | Caravan |
| Falcons, Hawks | Cast |
| Badgers | Cete |
| Bobolinks | Chain |
| Falcons, Finches, Magpies | Charm |
| Choughs | Chattering |
| Rooks | Clamor |
| Gnats, Bats, Grasshoppers | Cloud |
| Cats | Clowder |
| Bees, Grasshoppers | Cluster |
| Chicks | Clutch |
| Cats, Starlings | Clutter |
| Ants, Beavers, Gulls, Penguins, Rabbits | Colony |
| Parrots, Widgeons | Company |
| Plover, People | Congregation |
| Baboons | Congress |
| Ravens | Conspiracy |
| Eagles | Convocation |
| Coots | Cover |
| Curs | Cowardice |
| Rhinos | Crash |
| People | Crowd |
| Hounds | Cry |
| Bacteria | Culture |
| Lapwings | Deceit |
| Woodpeckers | Descent |
| Birds | Dissimulation |
| Doves | Dole |
| Hares | Down |
| Swine | Doylt |
| Fish | Draught |
| Squirrels | Dray |
| Swine | Drift |
| Pigeons | Dropping |
| Cattle | Drove |
| Grouse | Drumming |
| Doves | Dule |
| Toucans | Durante |
| Foxes | Earth |
| Larks | Exaltation |
| Woodcocks | Fall |
| Otters | Family |
| Ferrets | Fesnyng |
| Racehorses | Field |
| Flamingos | Flamboyance |
| Cows | Flink |
| Crocodiles | Float |
| Geese, Lice, Sheep | Flock |
| Jellyfish | Fluther |
| Geese | Gaggle |
| Whales | Gam |
| Buffalo, Elk | Gang |
| Woodpeckers | Gatling |
| Vipers | Generation |
| Bees | Grist |
| Cormorants, Magpies | Gulp |
| Horses | Harras |
| Tigers | Hide |
| Bees | Hive |
| Gnats | Horde |
| Sparrows | Host |
| Trout | Hover |
| Bees | Hum |
| Hares, Jackrabbits | Husk |
| Kittens | Intrigue |
| Cockroaches | Intrusion |
| Dogs | Kennel |
| Hawks | Kettle |
| Kittens | Kindle |
| Cows | Kine |
| Snakes, Toads | Knot |
| Moles | Labour |
| Swans | Lamentation |
| Hares, Leopards | Leap |
| Foxes, Greyhounds | Leash |
| Cubs, Pigs, Puppies | Litter |
| Raccoons | Mask |
| Kangaroos, Emus | Mob |
| Crows, Magpies | Murder |
| Starlings | Murmuration |
| Peacocks, Storks | Muster |
| Storks | Mustering |
| Thrushes | Mutation |
| Hounds | Mute |
| Buffalo | Obstinacy |
| Peacocks | Ostentation |
| Hornets, Mice, Rabbits, Vipers, Wasps | Nest |
| Pheasants | Nye/Nide |
| Asses | Pace |
| Hounds, Rats, Wolves | Pack |
| Ducks | Paddling |
| Horses | Pair |
| Parrots | Pandemonium |
| Elephants | Parade |
| Owls, Rooks | Parliament |
| Jays | Party |
| Hogs | Passel/Parcel |
| Chickens | Peep |
| Doves | Piteousness |
| Turtledoves | Pitying |
| Wasps | Pladge |
| Locusts | Plague |
| Waterfowl, Wildfowl | Plump |
| Boar, Dolphin, Seals, Walrus, Whales | Pod |
| Cats | Pounce |
| Parrots | Prattle |
| Hedgehogs, Porcupines | Prickle |
| Lions | Pride |
| Cobras | Quiver |
| Turkeys | Rafter |
| Colts | Rag |
| Horses | Ramuda |
| Rattlesnakes | Rhumba |
| Martens | Richness |
| Otters | Romp |
| Penguins | Rookery |
| Wolves | Rout |
| Baboons | Rumpus |
| Poultry | Run |
| Pochard | Rush |
| Fish, Porpoises | School |
| Jays | Scold |
| Cranes | Sedge |
| Sharks | Shiver |
| Bass, Pilchards, Shad | Shoal |
| Apes | Shrewdness |
| Cranes, Herons | Siege |
| Boars | Singular |
| Geese, Pheasants | Skein |
| Foxes, Larks, Quail | Skulk |
| Bears | Sleuth/Sloth |
| Jellyfish | Smack/Smuth |
| Weasels | Sneak |
| Mallards | Sord |
| Wild Swine, Boars, Foxes | Sounder |
| Mules | Span |
| Teal | Spring |
| Seagulls | Squabble |
| Flamingos | Stand |
| Skunks | Stench |
| Tigers | Streak |
| Ponies, Horses | String |
| Mares | Stud |
| Ants, Bees, Eels | Swarm |
| Horses, Ducks, Oxen | Team |
| Hippos | Thunder |
| Magpies | Tiding |
| Magpies | Tittering |
| Capercaillie | Tok |
| Giraffes | Totter/Tower |
| Goats, Monkeys, Dotterel | Tribe |
| Goats | Trip |
| Baboons, Monkeys, Kangaroos | Troop |
| Turtles | Turn |
| Sparrows | Ubiquity |
| Ravens | Unkindness |
| Birds | Volary |
| Buzzards, Vultures | Wake |
| Snipe | Walk |
| Rabbits | Warren |
| Nightingales | Watch |
| Geese, Swans | Wedge |
| Plovers | Wing |
| Owls | Wisdom |
| Snipe | Wisp |
| Oxen | Yoke |
Sources:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_animal_names
- https://www.herbweb.org/animals-collective-nouns.html
- https://auduboncnc.org/the-fascinating-history-of-collective-nouns/
~Ethan