A group of moles is most often called a labour (or labor, in American spelling), a fitting name for an animal that spends nearly its entire life digging.
Moles are largely solitary and fiercely territorial underground, defending their own tunnel systems and rarely tolerating close company. That makes a true “labour of moles” a fairly rare sight, most likely during breeding season or when young moles disperse to dig territories of their own.
What Is a Group of Moles Called?
The most traditional and widely cited term is a labour of moles, referencing the sheer physical effort of their constant tunneling.
Other Collective Nouns for Moles
A couple of other terms appear as well:
- Company — a more general, all-purpose collective term, applied to moles much as it is to other animals
- Movement — a nod to the shifting ridges and mounds that appear on a lawn as moles work just beneath the surface
Where Did the Name Come From?
Moles are native to Britain, and “labour” fits squarely within the 15th-century Book of Saint Albans (1486) tradition of English collective nouns, chosen for how well it captures the animal’s defining trait, near-constant digging. “Movement” is a more literal, observational term, describing the visible aftermath of a mole’s work rather than the animal itself.
Mole Facts
- Habitat: Underground tunnel systems in loose, moist soil across North America, Europe, and Asia
- Social behavior: Largely solitary and territorial, defending individual tunnel networks; gatherings are uncommon outside of breeding season
- Diet: Carnivore; primarily earthworms, along with grubs and insect larvae
- Lifespan: 3–6 years in the wild
- Some moles can extend their tunnel network by many feet in a single hour
- The star-nosed mole has 22 fleshy tentacles on its snout, the most sensitive touch organ known in any mammal
Example Sentences
- A fresh labour of moles had turned the back lawn into a maze of ridges overnight.
- The gardener called it a company of moles, though she’d really only ever seen one at a time.
- New mounds appeared daily, evidence of a whole movement of moles working beneath the flower beds.
Other Names for a Group of Moles
Explore the individual collective nouns for moles in more depth:
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most common collective noun for moles?
Labour (or labor) is the most traditional and widely cited collective noun for moles, referencing their constant digging.
Do moles actually live in groups?
Not usually. Moles are largely solitary and territorial, defending their own tunnel systems, so true gatherings are uncommon.
What’s the difference between labour and labor of moles?
They’re the same term, just different spellings, British English uses labour, while American English uses labor.
Why is movement used for moles?
It describes the visible ridges and mounds that appear on the surface as moles tunnel just beneath the ground.
Are moles blind?
Not completely, but their eyesight is extremely poor. They rely mainly on touch and smell to navigate and hunt underground.
Related: Collective Nouns for Mammals