What Does “A Flick of Rabbits” Mean?
“Flick” most plausibly points to one of the rabbit’s most recognizable defensive behaviors: the flash of white fur visible underneath the tail as a fleeing rabbit bounds away. Some researchers believe this bright white flag-like flash may function as a warning signal to other nearby rabbits, or possibly even as a way of confusing a pursuing predator by drawing attention to a fast, unpredictable moving target.
Rabbits also communicate danger through the well-documented behavior of foot-thumping, striking a powerful hind leg against the ground to send a vibration-based alarm through the colony, alerting other rabbits to duck for cover without a sound needing to travel through open air. Between the visual tail-flick and the physical thump, rabbits have a couple of genuinely effective, low-risk ways to warn each other of danger, quick, quiet signals a full-on colony instantly. “Flick” fits neatly alongside whichever of these fast, sudden movements first inspired it.
Example: “A flick of rabbits scattered for the hedgerow the instant the hawk’s shadow crossed the field.”
Related: Collective Nouns for Mammals · What Is a Group of Rabbits Called?