Collective Nouns for Birds
List of Collective Nouns for Birds, Babies, Gender & Plurals
This list of collective nouns for birds also includes the individual baby names, males and females and plural for each bird species. There are currently around ten thousand (give or take a few hundred) different species of birds in the world. Birds have feathers, lightweight bones and they produce eggs. 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.
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| Birds | Offspring called? | Collective Nouns for Birds | Male | Female | Animal Plurals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Generic Bird | fledgling, nestling, hatchling, chick | a flock of birds, a flight of birds (in the air) | cock | hen | Birds |
| Chicken | chick, pullet (young hen), cockrell (young rooster) | a brood of chickens, a flock of chickens, a peep of chickens, a chattering of chicks | rooster | hen | Chickens |
| Crane | fledgling, nestling, hatchling, chick | a sege/sedge of cranes, a siege of cranes | Cranes | ||
| 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, a cooch | male | female | Cuckoos |
| Dove | squab, chick | a dule of doves, dole of doves, flight of doves, piteousness of doves | cock | hen | Doves |
| Duck | duckling | a raft of ducks, a brace, 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, aerie of eagles | tiercel | hen | Eagles |
| Emu | chick, hatchling | a mob of emus | cock | hen | Emus |
| Finch | chick | a charm of finches | cock | hen | Finches |
| Flamingo | chick | a flamboyance of flamingos | male | female | flamingos or flamingoes |
| Goose | gosling | a flock of geese, a gaggle of geese or a skein of (in flight) geese | gander | goose | Geese |
| 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 | Magpies | ||
| Owl | owlet, fledgling | a parliament of owls | male | female | Owls |
| Parrot | chick | a company 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 | peacock | peahen | Peafowl |
| Penguin | chick | a colony of penguins, parcel or huddle of penguins | male | female | Penguins |
| Pheasant | chick | a nest, nide/nye, a head or bouquet of pheasants, brood (a family), nye (a large group) | cock | hen | Pheasant or Pheasants |
| Pigeon | squab, squeaker, | a flock, kit or flight of pigeons | cock | hen | Pidgeons |
| 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 | Ravens | ||
| Rook | chick | a building of rooks, clamour of rooks, parliament of rooks | Rooks | ||
| Sparrow | fledgling, nestling, hatchling, chick | a host of sparrows, meinie 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, drift, herd, eyrar, game, sownder, team, whiting, lamentation or wedge of swans (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 rafter of turkeys, a gang of turkeys | tom or gobbler (adult male),jake (juvenile male | hen or jenny | Turkeys |
| Turtledove | hatchling, chick | a pitying or dole/dule of turtle doves | Turtle Doves | ||
| Woodcock | chick | a fall of woodcocks | cock | hen | Woodcocks |
| Woodpecker | chick | a descent of woodpeckers | male | female | Woodpeckers |
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ADDucation Lists Related Collective Nouns for Birds:
- Collective nouns for animals…
- Collective nouns for insects…
- Collective nouns for people…
- Do you speak German? You can find all collective nouns for birds on Sammelbegriffe für Tiere…
- Spotted a mistake or do you have a suggestion to improve our list of collective nouns for birds? Please add your comments below…
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.
Very Good