Animal Groups

Did you know that animal group names dates back to medieval times?

A list of collective terms for animals first appeared in The Book of Saint Albans printed in 1486. A nun named Juliana Barnes wrote the book covering the topics of hunting, fishing, coats of arms, and the first-ever list of collective nouns for every type of animal one could possibly imagine.

How many of the group names do you know?

• Alligators: congregation
• Butterflies: kaleidoscope
• Buzzards: wake
• Caterpillars: army
• Cattle: mob
• Chickens: clutch
• Cobras: quiver
• Cockroaches: intrusion
• Crocodiles: bask
• Donkeys: pace
• Elk: gang
• Falcons: cast
• Flies: business
• Frogs: army
• Giraffes: tower
• Grasshoppers: cloud
• Hedgehogs: array
• Hummingbirds: charm
• Iguanas: slaughter
• Leopards: leap
• Owls: parliament
• Pandas: embarrassment
• Sardines: family
• Seagulls: squabble
• Sharks: shiver
• Sloths: bed
• Spiders: cluster
• Toads: knot
• Vipers: generation
• Wombats: wisdom
• Woodpeckers: descent

Did you learn something new today?

Nancy Roe
Author