A group of woodcocks is called a fall, and unlike most collective nouns, this one describes a real, specific event rather than a permanent state. It refers to the sudden, large-scale arrival of migrating woodcocks dropping into woodland cover overnight, especially after a cold front pushes birds along on their journey.
Woodcocks migrate mostly under cover of darkness, and by dawn, exhausted birds “fall” into whatever suitable cover they can find, sometimes concentrating in surprising numbers in a small patch of woodland that looked empty the day before. It’s one of the few collective nouns still in genuine, active use: hunters and birdwatchers report “a good fall of woodcock” the same way they might report any other real-world sighting.
Example: “The cold front overnight brought in a strong fall of woodcock, and the covert was suddenly full of birds.”
Other Collective Nouns for Woodcocks
A group of woodcocks goes by more than one name, depending on what the birds are doing. You might also hear:
Related: Collective Nouns for Birds · What Is a Group of Woodcocks Called?