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A-Z-Animals
Groups of Animal Names: The Big List of Collective Terms
By A-Z Animals Staff,
26 days ago
Have you herd ? Names groups of various animals often have unique and sometimes funny names. You’re probably familiar with common farm and backyard animals – flocks of birds and herds of cows or sheep. These terms often encompass the animals listed below. But there are so many more names of animal groups to discover!
Why are names of animal groups often so weird or funny? One reason is that many of these collective animal group names originated in medieval times, especially the English hunting tradition. We’ll discuss the origin of each funny name for animal groups when it is known.
Many of the weird collective nouns for names for groups of animals are no longer used, but it is fun and informative to learn about them. We’ve arranged our list in alphabetical order based on the common name of the animal.
Apes: A Shrewdness of Apes
In other contexts, shrewdness refers to the ability to choose the best course of action.
Badgers: A Cete of Badgers
The word cete may be a variant of “cite,” meaning “town,” from which the word “city” was also derived.
Bats: A Colony, Cloud, Cauldron or Camp of Bats
When in flight, a large group of bats does resemble a dark cloud. Our favorite is “cauldron,” reminiscent of the “creepy” stereotypes bats are often afforded.
Their animal group goes by many different names, but bats travel in a colony, cloud, cauldron or camp.
Sloth is an old word for laziness. “Sleuth” originally referred to the bloodhound .
Bees: A Swarm of Bees
This term is still a familiar name for a group of animals and in common use today.
Bittern: A Sedge of Bitterns
A bittern is a small bird in the heron family, and sedges are the marsh grasses in which it hunts.
Buffalo: A Gang or Obstinancy of Buffalo
When a herd of buffalo crosses the road in one of North America ‘s national parks, they take their time, undeterred by cars with honking horns. This makes “obstinancy,” meaning stubbornness, a fitting term.
Buzzard: A Wake of Buzzards
A wake is a funeral tradition in which friends and family members stay up all night to watch over the body. Vultures are also known for their attraction to corpses.
Bobolink: A Chain of Bobolinks
The bobolink is a small North American songbird. Its name is an onomatopoeia of its call, and its collective noun might be a play on the “link” in its name.
The above aren’t the only collective names for cats . Kittens are referred to as a litter or kindle, or you might spy a destruction of wild cats.
Cobras: A Quiver of Cobras
The origin of the word quiver refers to a pouch used to carry arrows for hunting or warfare.
Crocodiles: A Bask of Crocodiles
Perhaps so named due to the crocodiles ‘ habit of basking in the sun on riverbanks.
Crows: A Murder or Horde of Crows
The term “murder” was a poetic term used in fifteenth-century English literature. Some superstitions held that crows are good or bad omens.
Dogs: A Pack of Dogs
The origin of “pack” means a group of things tied together. Puppies are referred to as a litter. “A cowardice of curs” means a pack of aggressive wild or feral dogs .
Whether you’re referring to wild dogs, wolves, or your domesticated pups at home, a group of dogs is called a pack.
A tower of grazing giraffes can eat hundreds of pounds of leaves per week, reaching their long necks to forage leaves, seeds, fruit, buds, and tree branches.
Sawt may derive from an Arabic term meaning “voice.”
Martins: A Richness of Martins
Similar to the ermine and mink , martins were once hunted for their fur.
Mice: A Mischief of Mice
We reckon mice earned this moniker, referring to their playful ways.
Moles: A Labor of Moles
Digging those tunnels is a lot of labor or work, both for the mole and for the gardener!
Monkeys: A Barrel or Troop of Monkeys
The term “barrel” was first recorded in the 1800s and inspired the classic children’s toy.
A troop works together to take care of the group’s young monkeys, playing, cuddling, and protecting. The troop’s leader is the strongest and largest of the male monkeys.
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