Blog de Puree

I came across a fascinating column today in the print version of The Newburyport Daily News (part of the Eagle Tribune Company) about the descriptions that can be used for groups of various birds.

The column, Words on Birds by Steve Grinley, was entitled “Names for birds add to description.” I tried to access it on the the newspaper’s Web site because I thought that linking to it would make a great blog entry, but that column was actually gated as part of the “Plus Edition package.” I went elsewhere online and found the same information at birding.about.com, as well as a couple of other online reference sites, and thought I’d share the information with any birders who came across this blog.

• Birds in general – A flock of birds, a dissimulation of birds, volery of birds
• Bitterns – A siege of bitterns, a sedge of bitterns
• Chickens – A peep of chickens
• Choughs – A chattering of choughs
• Coots – A cover of coots, a raft of coots
• Cormorants – A flight of cormorants
• Cranes – A sedge of cranes
• Crows – A congress of crows, a murder of crows
• Curlews – A herd of curlews
• Doves – A dule of doves, a flight of doves, a dole of doves, a cote of coves, a piteousness of doves
• Ducks – A paddling of ducks, a raft of ducks, a team of ducks, a dopping of ducks
• Dunlin – A fling of dunlin
• Eagles – A convocation of eagles
• Eggs – A clutch of eggs
• Falcons – A cast of falcons
• Finches – A charm of finches, a trembling of finches
• Flamingos – A flamboyance of flamingos
• Geese – A gaggle of geese, a skein of geese
• Goldfinches – A charm of goldfinches
• Goshawks – A flight of goshawks
• Grouse – A brace of grouse, a covey of grouse
• Guillemots – A bazaar of guillemots
• Gulls – A colony of gulls
• Hawks – A cast of hawks, a kettle of hawks, a cast of hawks
• Hens (chickens) – A brood of hens
• Herons – A siege of herons
• Hummingbirds – A charm of hummingbirds, a troubling of hummingbirds, a hover of hummingbirds
• Jays – A band of jays, party of jays
• Kingfishers – A concentration of kingfishers
• Lapwings – A deceit of lapwings
• Larks – An exaltation of larks
• Loons – A raft of loons
• Magpies – A tiding of magpies
• Mallards – A sord of mallards, a flush of mallards, a puddling of mallards
• Nightingales – A watch of nightingales
• Owls – A parliament of owls, a wisdom of owls
• Parrots – A company of parrots
• Partridges – A covey of partridges
• Peacocks – An ostentation of peacocks, a muster of peacocks
• Penguins – A colony of penguins, huddles of penguins, a pride of penguins
• Pheasants – A bouquet of pheasants, a covey of pheasants, a nye of pheasants, a nide of pheasants, a nest of pheasants
• Quail – A bevy of quail, a covey of quail
• Pelicans – A squadron of pelicans
• Plovers – A congregation of plovers, a wing of plovers, a leash of plovers
• Ravens – A conspiracy of ravens, an unkindness of ravens, a constable of ravens
• Rooks – A building of rooks, a parliament of rooks
• Snipe – A walk of snipe, a wisp of snipe
• Sparrows – A host of sparrows, a quarrel of sparrows
• Starlings – A murmuration of starlings
• Storks – A mustering of storks
• Swallows – A flight of swallows
• Swans – A ballet of swans, a bevy of swans, a herd of swans, a whiteness of swans
• Teal – A spring of teal
• Tufted Titmice – A banditry of titmice **
• Turtledoves – A pitying of turtledoves
• Turkeys – A rafter of turkeys, a muster of turkeys
• Waterfowl – A plump of waterfowl
• Waxwings – An ear-full or a museum of Waxwings *
• Woodcock – A fall of Woodcock
• Woodpeckers – A descent of woodpeckers

The next time you’re writing about what kind of bird groups you’ve seen, use these terms. If anything, they will spice up your descriptions.

* Added on June 19, 2008 after spotting an ear-full of Cedar Waxwings in Newburyport, Mass.
** Added on September 28, 2008.