Animal Group Terminology

A zeal of zebras — *Source: Getty Images*

You might be familiar with some groups of animals and their collective nouns, such as a herd of horses or a gaggle of geese. These are fairly common terms that many people associate with a particular gathering of animal species.

Some animal group terminology is obscure, unexpected, or incredibly specific. For example, a group of Indonesian mountain weasels is called a boogle!

Additionally, some animal names can be easily confused – did you know that a flock of ravens is not called a murder, but an unkindness of ravens? It’s actually a murder of crows.

So, do you know what to call a group of rhinos or jellyfish? Read on for a list of animal group names from a shrewdness of apes to a flamboyance of flamingos!

Species Name	Animal Group Name
Classification: Mammals
Aardvarks	Armory
Antelopes	Herd, Cluster, or Tribe
Apes	Shrewdness or Troop
Armadillos	Roll
Baboons	Flange or Troop
Badgers	Cete
Bats	Colony
Bears	Sleuth or Sloth
Beavers	Colony
Boars	Singular
Buffalo	Gang, Obstinacy, or Herd
Camels	Caravan
Cats	Clowder, Cluster, Glaring, or Pounce; Litter or Kindle (for kittens); Destruction (for wild cats)
Cattle	Drove or Herd
Cheetahs	Coalition
Deer	Herd or Bevy
Dogs	Pack, Mute, or Kennel; Litter (for puppies)
Donkeys (or Asses)	Pace or Drove
Dugong	Herd
Elephants	Parade or Herd
Elk	Gang or Herd
Emus	Mob
Ferrets	Business
Fox	Leash, Skulk, or Earth
Giant Panda	Sleuth
Giraffes	Tower
Goats	Tribe or Trip
Gorillas	Band
Hares	Husk or Down
Hippopotamuses	Bloat or Thunder
Hogs	Passel or Team
Horses	Team, Harras, or String; Rag (for colts); Stud (for a breeding group)
Hyenas	Cackle
Indonesian Mountain Weasels	Boggle
Jaguars	Leap, Prowl, or Parade
Kangaroos	Troop or Mob
Lemurs	Conspiracy
Leopards	Leap
Lions	Pride
Manatees	Aggregation
Martens	Richness
Mice	Horde or Mischief
Moles	Labor
Monkeys	Troop or Barrel
Mules	Pack, Span, or Barren
Otters	Romp or Raft
Oxen	Team or Yoke
Pigs	Drift, Drove, or Team
Porcupines	Prickle
Porpoises	Pod, Shoal, or School
Rabbits	Colony, Warren, or Nest
Raccoons	Smack, Gaze, or Nursery
Rats	Mischief
Rhinoceroses	Crash or Stubbornness
Seals	Bob, Pod, or Harem
Sheep	Drove, Flock, or Herd
Skunks	Surfeit or Stench
Squirrels	Dray or Scurry
Swine	Sounder
Tigers	Streak or Ambush
Weasels	Gang or Sneak
Whales	Pod, Gam, or Herd
Wolves	Pack or Rout
Wombats	Wisdom
Zebras	Herd, Dazzle, or Zeal

Species Name	Animal Group Name
Classification: Birds
Birds in General	Flight, Flock, Volary, or Brace
Birds in a Breeding Colony	Rookery
Bitterns	Sedge
Blackbirds	Grind
Bobolinks	Chain
Budgerigars	Chatter
Bullfinches	Bellowing
Buzzards	Wake
Chickens	Brood or Peep
Chicks (Of Many Species)	Brood or Clutch
Coots	Cover
Cormorants	Gulp or Flight
Cranes	Sedge
Crows	Murder or Horde
Dotterel	Trip
Doves	Dole/Dule, Bevy, Piteousness, or Pitying
Ducks	Raft, Bunch, or Paddling (on water); Flock, Flush, Badling, Badelynge, Safe, or Team (in flight)
Eagles	Convocation
Falcons	Cast
Finches	Charm
Flamingos	Stand or Flamboyance
Geese	Flock, Gaggle, or Skein
Grouse	Pack
Gulls	Colony
Hawks	Cast, Kettle, or Boil
Herons	Sedge or Siege
Jackdaws	Clattering or Train
Jays	Party or Scold
Lapwings	Deceit
Larks	Exaltation or Ascension
Mallards	Sord or Brace
Magpies	Tiding, Gulp, Murder, or Charm
Nightingales	Watch
Owls	Parliament
Parrots	Company or Pandemonium
Partridge	Covey
Peacocks	Muster or Ostentation
Penguins	Colony
Pheasant	Nest, Nide, Brood, Nye, or Bouquet
Pigeons	Flock, Litter, Kit, or Loft
Plovers	Congregation or Wing
Ptarmigans	Covey
Quail	Bevy or Covey
Ravens	Unkindness
Robins	Round
Rooks	Building, Clamor, or Parliament
Seagulls	Flock, Colony, Squabble, Flotilla, Scavenging, or Gullery
Snipe	Walk or Wisp
Sparrows	Host
Starlings	Murmuration
Storks	Mustering
Swallows	Flight
Swans	Bevy or Wedge
Teal	Spring
Turkeys	Rafter or Gang
Vultures	Committee
Widgeons	Company
Woodcocks	Fall
Woodpeckers	Descent

Species Name	Animal Group Name
Classification: Reptiles and Amphibians
Alligators	Congregation
Cobras	Quiver
Crocodiles	Bask
Frogs	Army
Lizards	Lounge
Rattlesnakes	Rhumba
Toads	Knot
Tortoises	Creep
Turtles	Bale or Nest
Snakes	Vipers’ Nest, Snakes’ Den, Ball, or Slither

Species Name	Animal Group Name
Classification: Fish
Fish in General	Draft, Nest, School, or Shoal
Bass	Shoal
Dogfish	Troop
Eels	Bed or Swarm
Goldfish	Troubling
Herring	Army
Koi	Glint
Sharks	Shiver
Stingrays	Fever
Trout	Hover

Species Name	Animal Group Name
Classification: Invertebrates
Ants	Colony
Bees	Grist, Hive, or Swarm
Butterflies	Kaleidoscope, Flight, Flutter, or Rabble
Caterpillars	Army
Clams	Bed
Cockroaches	Intrusion
Flies	Business
Gnats	Cloud or Horde
Grasshoppers	Cloud
Hornets	Nest
Jellyfish	Smack
Lobsters	Risk
Locusts	Plague or Cloud
Octopuses	Consortium
Oysters	Bed
Scorpions	Bed or Nest
Snails	Escargatoire, Walk, or Rout
Spiders	Clutter or Cluster
Squids	Shoal
Wasps	Pledge

Sources: U.S. Geological Survey Department Of The Interior, The Animal Facts.

Gaggles and Murders and Swarms, Oh My!

From mammals to fish, birds to invertebrates, these are some of the most interesting animal names. Which one surprised you the most?

If you have an idea for an unlisted animal group name, like a constellation of star-nosed moles or a flatulence of flounders, why not drop us a line and let us know? There are plenty of animal group names out there, but the most obscure creatures might still need collective nouns!

Next up, check out the Can You Name These Baby Animals quiz or test your Endangered Animals knowledge.

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