A group of hares is most often called a down, one of a whole cluster of old, whimsical terms attached to this fast, long-legged relative of the rabbit.
Few animals collected as many different collective nouns as hares did in medieval English hunting tradition, a reflection of just how often they turned up as quarry, and how much sport writers of the era enjoyed inventing colorful names for them.
What Is a Group of Hares Called?
The most frequently cited term is a down of hares, though it competes with several other well-documented alternatives depending on the source.
Other Collective Nouns for Hares
Older references list a striking number of alternates:
- Husk — an old dialect term with an unclear origin, appearing frequently alongside down in historical lists
- Leap — a direct reference to the hare’s powerful jumping ability
- Trip — more commonly used for goats, but occasionally applied to hares as well
- Drove — a general term for a group of animals being driven or moving together
- Warren — technically describes the burrow network rabbits dig, and is applied to hares somewhat loosely since hares themselves don’t burrow
Where Did the Name Come From?
Hares are native to the British Isles, and most of their collective nouns, including “down” and “husk,” trace back to the 15th-century Book of Saint Albans (1486), the source of many of English’s oldest and strangest hunting terms. That text catalogued dozens of specific group names for game animals, often chosen more for wit and wordplay among the hunting aristocracy than for any precise behavioral observation, which helps explain why hares alone ended up with so many overlapping options.
Hare Facts
- Habitat: Open grassland, farmland, and tundra, depending on species, across Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America
- Social behavior: Generally solitary outside of breeding season, though several may gather in a good feeding area; hares don’t dig burrows, resting instead in shallow depressions called “forms”
- Diet: Herbivore; grasses and herbs in warmer months, bark and twigs in winter
- Lifespan: 3–5 years in the wild
- Unlike rabbits, hares are born fully furred with their eyes open, ready to move within hours
- The European hare can run up to 45 mph, using sharp zig-zag turns to outrun predators
Example Sentences
- A down of hares scattered across the meadow at the first sign of the dogs.
- Old hunting texts sometimes refer to a husk of hares instead.
- A leap of hares bounded through the tall grass, barely visible against the gold stalks.
Other Names for a Group of Hares
Hares are also known, in various older sources, as a husk, leap, trip, drove, or warren.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most common collective noun for hares?
Down is the most frequently cited collective noun for hares, though husk, leap, trip, drove, and warren are all documented alternatives.
Why do hares have so many collective nouns?
Most trace back to the 15th-century Book of Saint Albans, a medieval hunting text that catalogued many creative, sometimes overlapping names for game animals, hares included.
What’s the difference between a hare and a rabbit?
Hares are larger and faster, are born fully developed with fur and open eyes, and don’t burrow the way rabbits do.
Is warren really used for hares?
It appears in some historical lists, though it technically refers to a rabbit burrow system, and hares themselves don’t dig burrows.
Do hares actually gather in groups?
Hares are mostly solitary outside of breeding season, though several may share a good feeding area, especially in open farmland.
Related: Collective Nouns for Mammals