A guide to collective nouns for birds. Learn what to call groups of eagles, owls, geese, and more with their fascinating origins.
📖 Collective Noun Lookup What Animals Form a Covey? The classic term for a game-bird family that hatched together and never really left home. 💬 “Covey” is a collective noun for grouse, pheasants, ptarmigans, and woodcocks — four ground-dwelling game birds, all traditionally described this way when found together as a family group rather than … Read more
📖 Collective Noun Lookup What Animals Form a Flock? The most famous collective noun in English — applied here to nine animals that aren’t the sheep you’d expect. 💬 “Flock” is a collective noun for bustards, geese, kangaroos, lions, llamas, moorhens, plovers, pochards, and swifts — a term everyone knows from sheep, but which has … Read more
🐦 Birds · Collective Nouns What Is a Group of Buzzards Called? A name that changes with what the birds are doing — and a word that means two completely different birds depending which side of the Atlantic you’re on. 💬 A group of buzzards is called a wake when feeding on carrion, a kettle … Read more
📖 Collective Noun Lookup What Animals Form a Dopping? Two diving birds, one old word for going under. 💬 “Dopping” is a collective noun for diving ducks and goosanders — two closely related waterbirds that share the same underwater feeding style. The word comes from an old dialect verb, “to dop,” meaning to dive or … Read more
🐦 Birds · Collective Nouns What Is a Group of Kites Called? A graceful raptor known for effortless soaring — and for gathering by the thousand at communal winter roosts. 💬 A group of kites is called a kettle while circling on thermals in flight, a soar for the same airborne gathering, and a roost … Read more
🕊️ Birds · Collective Nouns What Is a Group of Turtle Doves Called? A symbol of devoted love with a surprisingly wistful name for its flock. 💬 A group of turtle doves is called a pitying, with dule and peerage used as older alternates. Turtle doves (Streptopelia turtur) are long associated with devotion and mourning … Read more
🐦 Birds · Collective Nouns What Is a Group of Puffins Called? The name changes depending on whether you catch them on the water or on the cliffs. 💬 A group of puffins doesn’t have just one name — a raft describes puffins gathered on the water, while a loomery (or circus) refers to their … Read more
🐦 Birds · Collective Nouns What Is a Group of Swallows Called? Fast, aerial, and famous for spiraling together in a swirling column before migration. 💬 A group of swallows is called a flight, with gulp, kettle, and swoop used as more vivid alternates. Swallows are famous for gathering in swirling, tightly packed groups before … Read more
📖 Collective Noun Lookup What Animals Form a Richness? A collective noun that’s really about a price tag, not a personality. 💬 “Richness” is a collective noun for martens and minks — and, on this page, silver foxes as well, though that third pairing is far less well documented. The word is inherited from Old … Read more
Collective Nouns · Peafowl · Animal Facts What Is a Group of Peacocks Called? All Collective Nouns, Explained From “muster” to “ostentation,” this guide explores the collective nouns for peacocks and the difference between peacocks, peahens, and peafowl. 📖 8 min read 🦚 PEAFOWL SERIES 🔎 Updated August 2026 What Is a Group of Peacocks … Read more