Collective Animal names

I have long been curious about the names that exist for groups of animals. The list below is interesting. I have often wondered how the hell they arrived at these terms - perhaps it was a few members of academia who got plastered one night and created them. I think I will research THAT part and see what I come up with.

Some of them are obvious, some are curious and some are just downright strange. Some to look for are the group names for Swans, Cats, Ravens, owls, cheetahs and Hippo's. They are fun - they are by no means comprehensive, but certainly a fair selection and I hope you enjoy the list.


Albatross - Rookery
Alligators - Congregation
Apes - Shrewdness
Antelope - Herd
Ants - Colony
Asses - Pace
Baboons - Troop
Bacteria - Culture
Badgers - Colony
Barracudas - Battery
Bats - Colony
Bears - Sleuth
Bears (Cubs) - Litter
Beavers - Colony
Bees - Grist
Birds - Brood
Birds - Flight
Birds - Volary
Birds - (Ground) Flock
Birds - (Sea) Wreck
Bison - Herd
Bloodhounds - Sute
Buffalo - Herd, Troop, Gang, Obstinancy
Bullfinches - Bellowing
Bullocks - Drove
Butterflies - Flight
Buzzards - Wake
Camels - Caravan
Caterpillars - Army
Cats - Clowder
Cats (Kittens) - Litter
Cats (Wild) - Destruction
Cattle - Drove
Cheetahs - Coalition
Chickens - Brood
Chicks - Clutch, Chattering
Chinchilla - Colony
Clams - Bed
Cobras - Quiver
Cockroaches - Intrusion
Cormorants - Gulp
Crabs - Cast
Cranes - Seige
Crocodiles - Bask
Crows - Murder
Dolphins - Pod
Donkeys - Drove
Doves - Dule
Doves - Pitying
Eagles - Convocation
Eels - Swarm
Elephants - Herd
Elk - Gang
Emus - Mob
Falcons - Cast
Ferrets - Business
Finches - Charm
Fish - School
Flamingoes - Flamboyance
Flies - Business
Frogs - Army
Fox - Leash
Geese - Gaggle
Giraffes - Tower
Goats - Tribe
Goldfish - Glint
Gorillas - Band
Grasshopper - Cloud
Hippopotamuses - Bloat
Hornets - Nest
Hyenas - Cackle
Kangaroos - Troop
Larks - Exaltation
Leopards - Leap
Lions - Pride
Lizards - Lounge
Locusts - Plague
Magpies - Tiding
Owls - Parliament
Oxen - Team
Oysters - Bed
Parrots - Company
Partridge - Covey
Peacocks - Ostentation
Porcupines - Prickle
Porpoises- Herd
Raccoons - Gaze
Rats - Colony
Rattlesnakes - Rhumba
Ravens - Unkindness
Rhinoceroses - Crash
Sharks - Shiver
Sheep - Drove
Squirrels - Dray
Sparrows - Host
Spiders - Cluster
Swans - Lamentation
Turkeys - Rafter