A Stare of Owls

Cartoon animals struggling to hold a heavy Placeholder Image sign while a bird prepares to land on top.
Something new is coming to Gaggle of Nouns. Even the animals are struggling to get it ready.

A group of owls perched together is sometimes called a stare, a more specific alternate to the far more famous “parliament.” Where “parliament” gets used loosely for owls in general, “stare” is the term reserved for owls actually sitting together — a nod to their eerie, unblinking, forward-facing gaze.

Bonus fact: many owl species have asymmetrically placed ears, one slightly higher than the other, which helps them pinpoint the exact location of prey by sound alone, even in total darkness.

Since most owl species are solitary hunters, a genuine “stare” is a fairly rare sight in the wild — most sightings happen among family groups or closely related roosting species.

Related: Collective Nouns for Birds · What Is a Group of Owls Called? · A Parliament of Owls · A Wisdom of Owls · A Bazaar of Owls

Leave a Comment