Discussion of Group Names (Mostly from BIRDCHAT)
Date: Mon, 02 Oct 1995 08:02:47 -0700 (PDT)
From: "Helmboldt, Bruce" <.DLA.MIL>
Subject: group names
I know that a group of crows is called a "murder of crows", and a
group of skylarks (found in Vancouver, BC, and on San Juan Island, WA)
is called an "exaltation of skylarks". Does the term "gaggle of
geese" apply to wild geese or just domesticated barnyard geese?
What's the term for a group of swans? Does anybody else have any
group names I can add to my collection of worthless bird trivia?
Thanks.
0> Bruce Helmboldt 206-889-7357
_/_)_ .dla.mil
/ Duvall, WA
Date: Mon, 02 Oct 1995 09:15:10 -0700
From: "Dr. Stephan L. Moss" <.EDU>
Subject: Re: group names
Comments: To: "Helmboldt, Bruce" <.DLA.MIL>
May I suggest two sets of responses, those that are 'real' and the ones
that are humorous?
Real:
a Kettle of Hawks (Where does this one come from?)
a Gaggle of Geese
less real:
a Cawldron of crows
a Gulp of Swallows
!
! Dr. Stephan L. Moss .edu
!
! Administrative Computing Pomona College
! Claremont, CA 91711
! (909) 607-1734
Date: Mon, 02 Oct 1995 15:13:34 -0400
From: Terry Ross <.LIB.MD.US>
Subject: Re: "Group Names"
James Lipton's "An Exaltation of Larks" is devoted to these collective
nouns, many of which orignated as hunters' terms and have been in the
language for centuries. Here's a gleaning from his book:
A covey of partridges
A murder of crows
A rafter of turkeys
A brood of hens
A fall of woodcocks
A dule of doves
A wedge of swans
A party of jays
A company of parrots
A colony of penguins
A cover of coots
A sord of mallards
A dissimulation of birds
A peep of chickens
A pitying of turtledoves
A paddling of ducks [on the water]
A siege of herons
A charm of finches
A skein of geese [in flight]
a tidings of magpies
A cast of hawks
A deceit of lapwings
An ostentation of peacocks
A bouquet of pheasants
A congregation of plovers
An unkindness of ravens
A building of rooks
A host of sparrows
A descent of woodpeckers
A mustering of storks
A flight of swallows
A watch of nightingales
A murmuration of starlings
A spring of teal
A parliament of owls
An exaltation of larks
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Terry Ross Visit the BALTIMORE BIRD CLUB
Baltimore MD http://www.bcpl.lib.md.us/~tross/baltbird.html
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 02 Oct 1995 15:46:45 -0400
From: Pete Janzen <>
Subject: Group names
I think the term "kettle of hawks" probably derives from the visual effect of
migrating buteos, especially Swainson's Hawks. Swainson's form large flocks
that slowly spin as a group, and often stack up vertically, as well as
spreading out horizontally. These formations were apparently much commoner
in the past, when populations were larger. I've only really seen this once,
as a severe cold front moved through in early October, and we saw a group of
about 250 Swainson's. Many other raptors were migrating that day as well.
Another interesting trivia fact about these "kettles" is the seperation of
the much commoner light phase hawks from dark phase individuals. A very
knowledgeable birder from western Ks., present during this event, told us to
watch as the kettle passed over, and we would see a few dark Swainson's
trailing the flock. Sure enough, after the big group was past, 4 dark phase
birds came slowly circling, about a mile behind the rest.
Pete Janzen,
Wichita, Ks
Date: Mon, 02 Oct 1995 17:56:36 -0400
From: Macklin Smith <>
Subject: Re: "Group Names"
Comments: To: Terry Ross <.LIB.MD.US>
Although many of the collective nouns for birds and other creatures
have a certain charm, and although some of them are indeed quite
old (a covey of partridges, a flock of birds), the codification of
these nouns in "An Exaltation of Larks" is somewhat misleading.
Some are what might be called "natural words"--words old enough
to have lost their stamp of origin in metaphor or the specifics
of hunting or husbandry. But most are coinages of a rather fanciful,
witty, and often literary sort; and aren't particularly old in the
long scheme of things. "A murder of crows," for example, is neither
common parlance nor old; nor is "an exaltation of larks" or "a
murmuration of starlings"--both of which have all the marks of
18th-c. salon wit (though they could date from Renaissance courtly
ostentation as well). If we consider lists like these, we see some
relatively authentic (i.e., part of the common language) words,
but we mostly see poeticisms. Syntactically, a lot of these
simply take a verb and wrench it into a nonce noun ("a paddling
of ducks")--I mean, no one except a would-be landed gentryperson
would speak like this! More legitimately part of the common
language are usages like "a brood of hens" (common, ref. to
husbandry) and "a rafter of turkeys" (less common, but ditto);
and some based on older metaphors ("a skein of geese").
Anyone can coin some of the more fanciful "collective nouns."
A few years ago there was a contest designed to expand the list,
and I entered--forgive me my silliness, don't flame me!--"a
schizophrenia of Hawk-Owls," "a cell of Red Phalaropes," and
"a trepidation of Yellow Warblers," and more. It was fun to
dream these up, but that doesn't make them words!!!!!!
Macklin Smith
University of Michigan
Date: Mon, 02 Oct 1995 22:24:09 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Billie Jo T. Johnstone"
>
Subject: Re: "Group Names"
--- Macklin Smith wrote:
"a paddling of ducks"--I mean, no one except a would-be landed gentryperson
would speak like this!
--- end of quoted material ---
It sounds wonderful. And I liked "a fall of woodcock" as well. I guess I must
ache to be landed gentry. Oh well.
Billie Jo Johnstone
Lebanon, NH
Date: Tue, 03 Oct 1995 11:37:35 -0400
From: Terry Ross <.LIB.MD.US>
Subject: Re: "Group Names"
Comments: To: Macklin Smith <>
On Mon, 2 Oct 1995, Macklin Smith wrote:
> But most are coinages of a rather fanciful,
> witty, and often literary sort; and aren't particularly old in the
> long scheme of things. "A murder of crows," for example, is neither
> common parlance nor old; nor is "an exaltation of larks" or "a
> murmuration of starlings"--both of which have all the marks of
> 18th-c. salon wit (though they could date from Renaissance courtly
> ostentation as well). If we consider lists like these, we see some
> relatively authentic (i.e., part of the common language) words,
> but we mostly see poeticisms.
I'm glad Macklin Smith is ever vigilant to protect "the common language"
from "poeticisms"; in my ignorance, I had though the two overlapped
considerably. The Oxford English Dictionary cites Lydgate for "an
exaltation of larks" in 1430, which makes the term pretty old.
"Murmuration of starlings" is a much younger term, dating back only to
1470. Auden revived the term and made it part of the common language for
those who read verse, and Lipton is attempting the same for those who read
prose.
Since this thread runs the danger of veering wildly off course, I will put
up a file of such terms (and the correspondence appertaining thereunto) on
the BBC page. Please send me (rather than BIRDCHAT) further discussion of
the matter as well as suggestions for other "group names" whether the
terms are poetic or authentic.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Terry Ross Visit the BALTIMORE BIRD CLUB
Baltimore MD http://www.bcpl.lib.md.us/~tross/baltbird.html
------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Macklin Smith <>
To: Terry Ross <.lib.md.us>
Subject: Re: "Group Names"
Terry--
Lydgate, that voluminous and seldom read poet, had little impact on the
language--I mean direct impact. It's perfectly fine with me that through
the popularization of poeticisms such as his, people can think of "an
exaltation of larks," can love the coinage--which is delightful (the
rhythm, the thought, the description). I'm a poet myself and wouldn't
want to badmouth poetry. I just meant to say that some of these nouns
aren't common parlance, and weren't, and couldn't be, for good reason, and
the collections of lists of them suggest otherwise.
Macklin Smith
University of Michigan
Date: Tue, 03 Oct 95 11:42:21 EDT
From: Gail Mackiernan <.EDU>
Subject: Re: "Group Names"
Terry -- a "trip" of Dotterel, specifically, a small group of these birds
on passage (migration). The Brits use this term regularly. I don't know if
it is used for any other shorebird, will ask Barry (the resident expert on
such matters).
Cheers, Gail Mackiernan, U.of Maryland, .edu
Date: Thu, 5 Oct 1995 08:04:26 -0400
From: Alice Rasa <>
Subject: Kettling
X-Status:
I agree with Pete Jantzin's "visual effects" of many of the larger birds
riding the thermals. About 50 miles of east of Lubbock one late September
I happened upon about 200 Swainson's cruising and in with them were about
50 male Northern Harriers going south in a round and a round about way. I
have also seen kettles (150-200) of Turkey Vultures, and Ms. Kites in the
fall and Sandhill Cranes in both spring and fall. In fact just last week
at Muleshoe, TX (about 70 miles NW of Lubbock) I saw a flight of about 300
Barn Swallows acting like a kettle... who knows? But, hey, on a major
flyway like we have in Lubbock, anything goes.
Alice Rasa
Lubbock TX
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