Specialty Flock Names - All Seasons Wild Bird Store (2024)

FAQs

What are different flocks called? ›

A bevy of quail A bouquet of pheasants [when flushed] A brood of hens A building of rooks A cast of hawks [or falcons] A charm of finches A colony of penguins A company of parrots A congregation of plovers A cover of coots A covey of partridges [or grouse or ptarmigans] A deceit of lapwings A descent of woodpeckers A ...

Sometimes they are poetic, sometimes whimsical and some group names are more commonly used than others. While many of the names may have originated as hunters' terms, Michael Quinion, a contributor to the Oxford English Dictionary, states many were originally based on zoological observations.

Grosbeaks: gross. Gulls: colony, squabble, flotilla, scavenging, gullery. Herons: siege, sedge, scattering.

For a backyard flock, size depends on the total number of birds present, regardless of species. A small backyard flock consists of fewer than 20 total birds. A medium flock has 20 to 99 total birds. A large flock runs all the way from 100 to 999.

A group of birds is called as flock.

One of the most common collective nouns for birds is 'flock'.

A group of cardinals can be called a college, conclave, deeck, radiance, or a Vatican of cardinals.

A group of Blue Jays is often referred to as a “party” or a “band.” This may explain why Blue Jays often seem like they are hollering out, maybe they just might be singing or doing the Shout.

A group of sparrows is called a host.

The collective noun for a group of goldfinches is a 'charm', whereas a group of crows is known as a 'murder', and a group of owls as a 'parliament'.

What is a group of egrets called? ›

A congregation of egrets has many collective names including skewer, siege, sedge, wedge, and congregation.

The collective noun for a group of ravens is an "unkindness". In practice, most people use the more generic "flock".

Birds as Symbols

The Christ Child grasps the cord around the bird, a picture of His guidance and provision. The finch is also associated with the Passion; a legend holds that a finch snatched a thorn from Jesus' crown while he was carrying the cross, causing his feathers to be stained by His blood.

Among certain species, these mesmerizing congregations of flight can reach sizes of unbelievable proportions. One of the largest recorded flocks of birds featured over 40 million red-winged blackbirds flying over Arkansas in December 1964.

At sunset, huge groups of starlings take to the sky, swooping and swirling into spheres, planes and waves. The phenomenon is called a murmuration, and it's named after the noise that is made by the many flapping wings of a group of starlings in flight.

We often use collective nouns to refer to groups of people. Examples: team, gang, squad, army, jury, clergy, cult, crew.

Meaning of murmuration in English

a large group of birds, usually starlings, that all fly together and change direction together, or the act of birds doing this : Starling murmurations are one of the most dazzling displays in the natural world.

The term flocking or murmuration can refer specifically to swarm behaviour in birds, herding to refer to swarm behaviour in tetrapods, and shoaling or schooling to refer to swarm behaviour in fish.