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What do you call a group of... (1 Viewer)

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Dave B Smith

Well-known member
Crows? A “murder” of crows. Below are some more that I have found. What others can y’all add? Certainly makes for more colorful descriptions. I saw a murder of crows today and a parliament of Great Horned Owls…. See what I mean.

Crane (herd, sedge, siege)
Dove (dole, flight, piteousness)
Eagle (aerie, convocation)
Finch (charm)
Goose (flock or gaggle on the ground, skein when flying or wedge when in “V” formation)
Hawk (aerie, cast)
Heron (sedge, siege)
Hummingbird (charm)
Magpie (tiding, tribe, charm, gulp, flock, murder)
Mallard (flush, sord)
Ostrich (flock)
Owl (parliament) (probably why we think they are so wise)
Parrot (company, flock)
Peafowl (muster, ostentation)
Pheasant (brood – for a family, nye – for a large group)
Pigeon (flock, kit)
Quail (bevy, covey, drift)
Raven (congress, unkindness)
Swallow (flight)
Swan (bevy, game, herd, team, wedge – when flying in “V” formation)
Turkey (rafter)
Wren (flock, herd)
 
Nice link, Elizabeth, although I have doubts about the pedigree of one or two of those.

Anyone else notice the correct/traditional/arcane/obsolete [delete as applicable] spelling of capercailzies???

Bonus point for anyone who can explain the "z".
 
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Hi Birdman,

The 'z' is an error, a mis-reading of the old Scots way of writing the letter 'y', so Capercaillie - or more strictly Capercaillye - is correct. The derivation is from Gaelic Capull coille, 'Horse of the woods'.

Michael
 
I'm not going to give you the point for that, Michael, as that is not quite the reason in my understanding - although when I do give my version, you might think I'm splitting hairs!!!
 
We had a similar thread to this a while back (can't locate it) - started by Birdman, I think.

Considering some of the contents of other threads since then I'd like to re-iterate my contribution of a 'Perplexity of Pipits!'
 
birdman said:
Nice link, Elizabeth, although I have doubts about the pedigree of one or two of those.

Anyone else notice the correct/traditional/arcane/obsolete [delete as applicable] spelling of capercailzies???

Bonus point for anyone who can explain the "z".
Click to expand...
Any more offers???
 
That's close enough for the point Darren!!!

Yes, the Old Scots letter yogh, which looks a bit like 3 (with the tail below the line) is the reason for the z.

I think there must be some truth in what Michael said above, to give the pronunciation of caper-cay-ly, and also Dee-yell for tthe Scottish name Dalziel.

But yogh was apparently pronounced (according to the website below) as a nasal "ng" - hence the Scottish name Menzies is sometimes pronounced Mingiss (like singer not finger).

More info here.... http://www.scots-online.org/grammar/pronunci.htm

Anyway... to get back to the original reason for the thread, how about a Vauxhall of Coursers????
 
birdman said:
That's close enough for the point Darren!!!

Yes, the Old Scots letter yogh, which looks a bit like 3 (with the tail below the line) is the reason for the z.

I think there must be some truth in what Michael said above, to give the pronunciation of caper-cay-ly, and also Dee-yell for tthe Scottish name Dalziel.

But yogh was apparently pronounced (according to the website below) as a nasal "ng" - hence the Scottish name Menzies is sometimes pronounced Mingiss (like singer not finger).

More info here.... http://www.scots-online.org/grammar/pronunci.htm

Anyway... to get back to the original reason for the thread, how about a Vauxhall of Coursers????
Click to expand...
Yee-hah!

A Vauxhall of Coursers, hehehe!

An 'Illusion' of Hawfinches?

A 'Pick-up' of Penguins?

A 'van Nistelrooy' of Divers?
 
Proper ones these:

A 'Pitying' of Turtle doves.

A 'Wisp' of Snipe.

A 'Fall' of Woodcock.

A 'Watch' of Nightingale.

A 'Spring' of Teal.

A 'Kettle' of Hawks.

A 'Murmuration' of Starlings.

And a 'Dissimulation' of birds.
 
A Building-site of Cranes
A Flotilla of Frigatebirds
A Sting of Bee-eaters
A Balance of Logrunners
A Bonbon of Motmots
A J-Lo of Rheas
A Sherbet of Dippers
 
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