Yes, so was I. It totally would make sense right?
What exactly in the English language makes sense, however? With our homophones, homonyms, homographs, antonyms, synonyms, similes.... on and on. It is enough to drive us MAD!!
Okay so I'm digressing a little... actually a group of squid is called a shoal, which is also a name for a group of fish. Although squid are not fish, right? Well because squid also swim in schools, this is why they are called a shoal.
This prompted our home (actually ME, and then I prompted everyone else!) to find the "group names" of other animals and we came across a REALLY great site: The Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center that gave us a very detailed list of Animal Congregations.
SO HERE GOES!!
LIST OF ANIMAL CONGREGATIONS
| Mammals | |
|---|---|
| Apes | A shrewdness |
| Asses | A pace |
| Badgers | A cete |
| Bats | A colony |
| Bears | A sloth, sleuth |
| Buffalo | A gang, an obstinacy (I suspect these refer to old world buffalo; use "herd" for American bison) |
| Cats | A clowder, a pounce; for kittens...A kindle, litter, an intrigue |
| Cattle | A drove, herd |
| Deer | A herd, bevy (refers only to roe deer) |
| Dogs | A litter (young), pack (wild), cowardice (of curs); specific to hounds...A cry, mute, pack, kennel |
| Elephants | A herd |
| Elk | A gang |
| Ferrets | A business |
| Fox | A leash, skulk, earth |
| Giraffes | A tower |
| Goats | A tribe, trip |
| Gorillas | A band |
| Hippopotamuses | A bloat |
| Horses | A team, harras, rag (for colts), stud (a group of horses belonging to a single owner, string (ponies) |
| Hyenas | A cackle |
| Kangaroos | A troop |
| Leopards | A leap |
| Lions | A pride |
| Martens | A richness |
| Moles | A labor |
| Monkeys | A troop, barrel |
| Mules | A pack, span, barren |
| Otters | A romp |
| Oxen | A team, yoke |
| Pigs | A drift, drove, litter (young), sounder (of swine), team, passel (of hogs), singular (refers to a group of boars) |
| Porcupines | A prickle |
| Rabbits | A colony, warren, nest, herd (domestic only), litter (young); specific to hares...A down, husk |
| Rhinoceroses | A crash |
| Seals | A pod, herd |
| Sheep | A drove, flock, herd |
| Squirrels | A dray, scurry |
| Tigers | A streak |
| Whales | A pod, gam, herd |
| Wolves | A pack, rout or route (when in movement) |
| Birds | |
|---|---|
| Birds in general | A flight (in the air), flock (on the ground), volary, brace (generally for gamebirds or waterfowl, referring to a pair or couple killed by a hunter) |
| Bitterns | A sedge |
| Buzzards | A wake |
| Bobolinks | A chain |
| Chicks (of many species) | A brood; clutch |
| Coots | A cover |
| Cormorants | A gulp |
| Cranes | A sedge |
| Crows | A murder, horde |
| Dotterel | A trip |
| Doves | A dule, pitying (specific to turtle doves) |
| Ducks | A brace, flock (in flight), raft (on water) team, paddling (on water), badling |
| Eagles | A convocation |
| Finches | A charm |
| Flamingos | A stand |
| Geese | A flock, gaggle (on the ground), skein (in flight) |
| Grouse | A pack (in late season) |
| Gulls | A colony |
| Hawks | A cast, kettle (flying in large numbers), boil (two or more spiraling in flight) |
| Herons | A sedge, a siege |
| Jays | A party, scold |
| Lapwings | A deceit |
| Larks | An exaltation |
| Mallards | A sord (in flight), brace |
| Magpies | A tiding, gulp, murder, charm |
| Nightingales | A watch |
| Owls | A parliament |
| Parrots | A company |
| Partridge | A covey |
| Peacocks | A muster, an ostentation |
| Penguins | A colony |
| Pheasant | A nest, nide (a brood), nye, bouquet |
| Plovers | A congregation, wing (in flight) |
| Ptarmigans | A covey |
| Rooks | A building |
| Quail | A bevy, covey |
| Ravens | An unkindness |
| Snipe | A walk, a wisp |
| Sparrows | A host |
| Starlings | A murmuration |
| Storks | A mustering |
| Swallows | A flight |
| Swans | A bevy, wedge (in flight) |
| Teal | A spring |
| Turkeys | A rafter, gang |
| Widgeons | A company |
| Woodcocks | A fall |
| Woodpeckers | A descent |
| Reptiles and Amphibians | |
|---|---|
| Crocodiles | A bask |
| Frogs | An army |
| Toads | A knot |
| Turtles | A bale, nest |
| Snakes, vipers | A nest |
| Fish | |
|---|---|
| Fish in general | A draft, nest, school, shoal (some authors claim that the common "school" is a corruption of shoal, and therefore incorrect) |
| Bass | A shoal |
| Herring | An army |
| Sharks | A shiver |
| Trout | A hover |
| Invertebrates | |
|---|---|
| Ants | A colony |
| Bees | A grist, hive, swarm |
| Caterpillars | An army |
| Clams | A bed |
| Cockroaches | An intrusion |
| Flies | A business |
| Gnats | A cloud, horde |
| Grasshoppers | A cloud |
| Hornets | A nest |
| Jellyfish | A smack |
| Locusts | A plague |
| Oysters | A bed |
They also provided us with some really great reference books to take a gander (or a gaggle since there are more of us *wink*) at and go further into the rabbit hole of our expedition on Animal Congregations. So, if you fancy in learning the derivation of some of these names, or if you just want some fun reading, check out James Lipton's book entitled "An Exaltation of Larks" 2nd edition (Penguin Books 1977). And for Birders interested in avian nomenclature should see Bruce Campbell and Elizabeth Lack's "A Dictionary of Birds" (Buteo Books 1985).
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