Bird Group Names: Why Birds Flock & What to Call Them

A group of birds is known universally as a flock - but what about a charm, parliament, or banditry? There are unique collective nouns for just about every type of bird out there, and where they come from might surprise you.

Mixed flock of Australian seabirds

Why do birds flock, anyway?

Birds flock together for two main reasons: protection and food. Flocking helps with threat detection, as every bird can be looking in a different direction making it easier to spot predators. If a predator were to strike into a flock of birds, the sheer movement of the flock may be enough to confuse the predator, allowing the birds to get away safely. Flocking is also an efficient way to find food sources, with each bird having its own knowledge of sources and sharing those with the group. This is particularly useful during the winter months when natural food sources can be scarce. Click here to learn more about this fascinating behaviour. 

Group names

Where did they come from? Scientists? Truthfully, you're not likely to hear most of these terms from a biologist. Instead, many of the names listed came to existence in literature in the Middle Ages and were made up just because of the fun images that pop into thought when reading or saying the terms. The first known list of collective nouns for bird and other animals groupings is found in 'The Book of Saint Albans' (also known as 'The Book of Hawking, Hunting, and Blasing of Arms) a book on "interests of gentlemen", published in 1486. The author even goes as far as naming groups of human professions such as 'a blast of hunters' or a 'diligence of messengers'. Here is a small sampling of bird group names that have made it onto the list over the years:

• Chickadees: banditry
  
  
• Cardinals: vatican, college
  
  
• Cowbirds: corral
  
  
• Creepers: spiral
  
  
• Crows: murder, cauldron
  
  
• Doves: dole, bevy
  
  
• Ducks: badling, raft
  
  
• Finches: charm
  
  
• Geese: gaggle, plump
  
  
• Grouse: covey, pack
  
  
• Gulls: colony, screech
  
  
• Hawks: boil, kettle
  
  
• Herons: sedge
  
  
• Hummingbirds: bouquet, glitter, shimmering
  
  
• Jays: party, scold 
  
  
• Loons: asylum, cry
  
  
• Owls: parliament, bazaar, glaring
  
  
• Plovers: congregation 
  
  
• Ravens: congress
  
  
• Sparrows: knot, flutter, quarrel
  
  
• Starlings: murmuration, constellation, chattering
  
  
• Swallows: gulp
  
  
• Swans: ballet, lamentation
   
• Turkeys: rafter, posse
  
  
• Vultures: venue
  
  
• Warblers: confusion
  
  
• Woodepeckers: descent
  
  
• Wrens: herd, chime
  
  

Snow Buntings

Though many of these terms aren't often recognized in the scientific field, they are fun pieces of useless information you can pull out to show off on trivia nights, and they certainly help bring about a sense of whimsy in storytelling. Don't worry if you don't remember them - flock will do just fine. 

Happy trails!

- Shayna