Collective Nouns for Birds 🦉

List of Collective Nouns for Birds🦉Baby & Gender Names + Plurals

ADDucation’s list of collective nouns for birds also includes the individual baby names, males and females and plural for each bird species. Did you know the first list of collective nouns was published in The Book of St Albans circa 1500 and it wasn’t definitive – it was based on folklore, humor and the whim of the publisher and it’s the same today.

This list of collective nouns for birds was compiled by Joe Connor, last updated Nov 7, 2022 @ 11:31 am.

Frequently Asked Questions About Birds & Group Names for Birds 🦅

FAQ About Birds & Groups of Birds

Are penguins birds or mammals?

Birds have feathers, lightweight hollow bones and lay eggs - so penguins are birds not mammals.

How many species of birds are there?

There are currently around ten thousand bird species in the world today, give or take a few hundred.

ADDucation Tips: Click column headings with arrows to sort collective nouns for birds. Reload page for original sort order. Resize your browser to full screen and/or zoom out to display as many columns as possible. Reload page for original sort order. Resize your browser to full screen and/or zoom out to display as many columns as possible. Click the ➕ icon to reveal any hidden columns. Start typing in the Filter table box to find specific bird terms inside the table of collective nouns for birds and poultry.

Birds	Offspring called?	Collective Nouns for Birds	Male	Female	Bird plurals
Generic Bird 🐦	fledgling, nestling, hatchling, chick.	A flock of birds, a flight of birds (in the air).	cock	hen	Birds
Cedar Waxwing	chick	a flock of cedar waxwings an ear-full of cedar waxwings a museum of cedar waxwings.	cock	hen	Cedar waxwings
Chicken 🐔	chick, pullet (young hen), cockerel (young rooster).	A brood of chickens a flock of chickens a peep of chickens a chattering of chicks.	rooster	hen	Chickens
Crane, Sandhill crane	fledgling, nestling, hatchling, chick.	A sege or sedge of cranes a siege of cranes a herd of cranes a dance of cranes (in mating season) a construction of cranes a swoop of cranes (flying).	roan?	mare?	Cranes
Coot	Chick	A covert of coots, a cover of coots.	cock	hen	Coots
Crow	fledgling, nestling, hatchling, chick.	A muster of crows, a murder of crows.	cock	hen	Crows
Cuckoo	chick	An incredulity of cuckolds (baby cuckoos) an asylum of cuckoos a cooch of cuckoos.	male	female	Cuckoos
Dove 🕊	squab, chick.	A bevy of doves a dule of doves a dole of doves a flight of doves a piteousness of doves.	cock	hen	Doves
Duck🦆	duckling	A badling of ducks a raft of ducks a flush of ducks a paddling or team of ducks.	drake	duck	Ducks
Mallard / Duck	duckling	A sord of mallards.	drake	duck	Mallard or Mallards.
Eagle 🦅	eaglet, fledgling.	A convocation of eagles a congress of eagles an aerie of eagles.	tiercel	hen	Eagles
Emu	chick, hatchling.	A mob of emus.	cock	hen	Emus
Finch	chick	A charm of finches a cast of finches a trembling of finches a trimming of finches.	cock	hen	Finches
Flamingo	chick	A flamboyance of flamingos, a stand of flamingoes.	male	female	Flamingos or flamingoes.
Goose	gosling	A flock of geese a gaggle of geese (walking) a skein of geese a plump of geese on water a wedge of geese in flight.	gander	goose	Geese
Grouse	Chick	A covey of grouse, a pack of grouse.	cock	hen	Grouse or grouses
Hawk	eyas	A cast or kettle of hawks, aerie of hawks.	tiercel	hen	Hawks
Heron	chick	A sedge, scattering or siege of herons.	cock	hen	Herons
Lark	chick	An ascension or exultation of larks.	cock	hen	Larks
Magpie	chick	A tiding of magpies a gulp of magpies a mischief of magpies a conventicle of magpies a tittering of magpies.	cock	hen	Magpies
Nightingale	chick	A watch of nightingales.	cock	hen	Nightingales
Owl🦉	owlet, fledgling.	A parliament of owls a wisdom of owls a stare of owls a study of owls.	male	female	Owls
Parrot 🦜	chick	A company of parrots a prattle of parrots a pandemonium of parrots.	cock	hen	Parrots
Partridge	cheeper	A covey of partridges.	cock	chantelle, hen	Partridge or partridges
Peafowl	fledgling, nestling, hatchling, chick.	A muster, pride or ostentation of peafowl. An ostentation of peacocks.	peacock	peahen	Peafowl
Pelican	chick, toddler.	A pod of pelicans a pouch of pelicans a scoop of pelicans a flotilla of pelicans a squadron of pelicans flying.	cock	hen	Pelicans
Penguin	chick	A colony of penguins, one of the best-known collective nouns for birds a rookery of penguins a waddle, parcel or huddle of penguins. A group of penguins in water is called a raft of penguins. 20 January is Penguin Awareness Day #PenguinAwarenessDay.	male	female	Penguins
Pheasant	chick	A nide of pheasants a head of pheasants a bouquet of pheasants a brood is a family of pheasants a nye is a large group of pheasants.	cock	hen	Pheasant or pheasants
Pigeon	squab, squeaker.	A flock, kit or flight of pigeons.	cock	hen	Pigeons
Plover	fledgling, nestling, hatchling, chick.	A wing or congregation of plovers.			Plovers
Quail	fledgling, nestling, hatchling, chick.	A covey, drift or bevy of quail.	cock	hen	Quail or quails
Raven	fledgling, nestling, hatchling, chick.	An unkindness of ravens a conspiracy of ravens.	cock	hen	Ravens
Rook	chick	A building of rooks a clamor of rooks a parliament of rooks.			Rooks
Sandpiper	hatchling, chick.	A fling of sandpipers a bind of sandpipers a hill of sandpipers a cluster of sandpipers a contradiction of sandpipers.	cock	ree	Sandpipers
Snipe	Chick	A walk of snipe, a wisp of snipes.	cock	hen	Snipe or snipes
Sparrow	fledgling, nestling, hatchling, chick.	A host of sparrows a meinie of sparrows a quarrel of sparrows an ubiquity of sparrows a tribe of sparrows.	cock	hen	Sparrows
Starling	fledgling, nestling, hatchling, chick.	A murmuration of starlings, a cloud of starlings.			Starlings
Stork	fledgling, nestling, hatchling, chick.	A mustering of storks, a phalanx of storks (when migrating).			Storks
Swan 🦢	cygnet, flapper.	A bevy of swans a drift of swans a herd, eyrar, game, sownder, team, whiteness of swans a lamentation or wedge of swans, when flying in V formation a bank of swans on the ground.	cob	pen	Swans
Swift	fledgling, nestling, hatchling, chick.	A flock of swifts.			Swifts
Turkey 🦃	chick, poult.	A raffle or rafter of turkeys, a gang of turkeys.	tom or gobbler (adult male),jake (juvenile male.	hen or jenny	Turkeys
Turtle dove	hatchling, chick.	A pitying or dole/dule of turtle doves.			Turtle Doves
Vulture	chick	A committee, volt or venue of vultures (on the ground), a kettle of vultures (when circling) and a wake of vultures (when feeding together). Includes Turkey Vultures often called “Buzzards” in the USA.	cock	hen	Vultures
Woodcock	chick	A fall of woodcocks.	cock	hen	Woodcocks
Woodpecker	chick	A descent of woodpeckers.	male	female	Woodpeckers

ADDucation Lists Related to Collective Nouns for Birds:

Collective nouns for birds list in German: Sammelbegriffe für Tiere…
Help improve ADDucation’s list of collective nouns for birds by adding your comments below…

11 responses to “Collective Nouns for Birds 🦉”

Glenn Gates says:

January 26, 2023 at 5:15 pm

For hummingbirds, I’d suggest ‘a melee of hummingbirds’

Reply
Judith says:

July 14, 2021 at 11:37 am

For pelicans, I’d suggest “flotilla”

Reply
- Joe Connor says:
  
  July 21, 2021 at 12:27 pm
  
  Thanks Judith, checked and added.
  
  Reply
C.H. (no relation to Christine Humphrey) says:

February 8, 2021 at 7:43 pm

A herd of cranes, watch of nightingales, covert of coots, wisp of snipe, covey of grouse…

Reply
- Joe Connor says:
  
  February 11, 2021 at 3:15 pm
  
  Thanks C.H. I’ve added these collective nouns for birds to the list.
  
  Reply
Angie says:

November 25, 2020 at 9:11 pm

Any for cedar waxwings? I heard they sometimes eat until they can fly no more. Or they will keep passing a berry from waxwing to waxwing until one finally swallows it. Cute. How about a “gorge,” “stuff,” or “sharing” of waxwings, if no other term exists? This list is a delight to read.

Reply
- Joe Connor says:
  
  November 30, 2020 at 10:23 am
  
  Hi Angie, much to our surprise there are a couple of collective nouns for cedar waxwings: A museum or ear-full of cedar waxwings. Thanks to your comment we’ve added a new entry, it makes us happy you enjoyed the list.
  
  Reply
Marguerite Rolland says:

August 2, 2020 at 9:18 pm

But what about turkey vultures?

Reply
- Joe Connor says:
  
  August 22, 2020 at 1:19 pm
  
  Thanks Marguerite, we’ve now added turkey vultures, which includes turkey vultures, turkey “Buzzards” and several other species.
  
  Reply
Christine Humphrey says:

June 7, 2018 at 8:02 pm

What a fun read! I heard the term “collective noun” (never heard this) on Ellen Degeneres TV show. Thanks, great list! Now I will look at your collective nouns for people list.

Reply
Rajender Joshi says:

May 15, 2017 at 5:56 am

Very Good

Reply