Groups of Animals: 110+ Collective Nouns (Common & Rare Examples)

A group of animals is a collection of animals of the same species living together in one area or habitat. Common terms for groups of animals include herd, pack, flock, and colony. For example, a group of cows is called a herd, wolves form a pack, birds gather in a flock, and bees live in a hive or colony.

This article introduces common collective nouns used in everyday English, along with rarer or literary animal group names that appear mainly in trivia, literature, or reference lists.

Groups of Animals

What Is a Group of Animals?

A group of animals is a collection of individual animals that belong to the same species and are usually found together. Groups of animals can be formed for a variety of reasons, such as for protection, to find food, or to reproduce. The size and structure of a group of animals can vary depending on the species and the environment in which they live.

Some groups of animals, like packs of wolves or pride of lions, have a hierarchical social structure with a dominant individual or individuals leading the group. Other groups, like schools of fish or flocks of birds, may have more decentralized social structures.

Whether it is a group of mammals, birds, or even insects, there is a unique collective noun to identify the specific group. However, some of these names are rarely used in modern everyday English, so it helps to know which ones are common and which ones are mainly for fun facts.

Common Groups of Animals

These are the most useful collective nouns you will actually see in modern English.

Animal	Common collective noun	Notes
Bees	a swarm / a hive	Swarm is common for many insects; hive is the home/group idea.
Birds (general)	a flock	Very common umbrella term for many birds.
Cats	a litter (kittens) / a group	In daily English, people often just say “a group of cats.”
Cows / cattle	a herd	Most common for grazing animals.
Dogs / wolves	a pack	Very common for wolves; also used for dogs in some contexts.
Ducks	a flock	Common and safe in everyday English.
Elephants	a herd	Most common usage.
Fish (general)	a school	Very common for fish.
Flamingos	a stand	Common in references; “flamboyance” exists but is rare/poetic.
Geese	a flock	Common and widely used.
Giraffes	a tower	Quite well-known and often taught as a fun-but-usable term.
Goats	a herd	“Herd of goats” is the most natural everyday choice.
Lions	a pride	Very common and widely recognized.
Monkeys	a troop	Common in documentaries and reading passages.
Owls	a parliament	Well-known and commonly cited in English learning materials.
Penguins	a colony	Most common usage.
Sharks	a group / a school	“Shiver” exists but is more trivia; “group/school” is safer.
Whales	a pod	Most common modern term.

Interesting but Rare Collective Nouns

The collective nouns below can be fun for trivia, vocabulary games, and reading passages. However, many are rare / literary / old-fashioned, so ESL learners should treat them as extra knowledge, not everyday vocabulary.

Animal	Rare / literary collective noun	Usage note
Bees	a grist	Rare / old-fashioned. In daily English, use swarm or hive.
Bitterns	a sedge	Rare / poetic.
Buffalo	a gang / an obstinacy	“Gang” can sound slang-ish; treat as trivia.
Cats	a clowder / a glaring / a pounce	Mostly trivia; everyday English often says “a group of cats.”
Cormorants	a gulp	Rare.
Crows	a murder / a horde	“Murder” is famous but not daily conversation; “flock” is common for general birds.
Crabs	a consortium	Rare / humorous.
Eagles	a convocation	Rare / formal.
Ferrets	a business	Mostly trivia.
Flies	a business	Mostly trivia; “swarm of flies” is more everyday.
Fox	a skulk / a leash / an earth	Rare / hunting/literary.
Frogs	an army	Often cited as fun fact; not common daily usage.
Grasshoppers	a cloud	More descriptive/poetic than everyday.
Herons	a sedge / a siege	Rare.
Hyenas	a cackle	Known in trivia/reading; still not daily conversation.
Jellyfish	a smack / a fluther	“Smack” is the most recognized; “fluther” is very rare.
Lapwings	a deceit	Rare / old-fashioned.
Larks	an exaltation	Rare / poetic.
Lemurs	a conspiracy	Mostly trivia.
Leopards	a leap	Very rare; mostly trivia.
Magpies	a tiding / a murder / a charm	Rare; “murder” is far more famous for crows than magpies.
Mallards	a sord / a brace	Rare; in modern English, “a flock of ducks” is safer.
Martens	a richness	Rare.
Moles	a labor	Rare / old-fashioned.
Mules	a barren / a span	Rare; “a pack of mules” is more understandable.
Nightingales	a watch	Rare.
Otters	a romp	Fun and fairly known, but still more “trivia.”
Parrots	a pandemonium / a company	More literary; still seen in ESL trivia lists.
Peafowl	an ostentation / a muster	Mostly trivia/poetic.
Plovers	a wing (in flight) / a congregation	Rare.
Ravens	an unkindness	Rare / literary.
Rhinoceroses	a crash	Well-known fun fact, but not daily conversation.
Rooks	a building	Rare.
Sharks	a shiver	Popular as trivia; in everyday English, “group” is safer.
Snipe	a wisp / a walk	Rare / old-fashioned.
Sparrows	a host	Rare; “flock” is more common.
Squirrels	a dray / a scurry	More trivia than everyday.
Starlings	a murmuration	Famous word, but still more literary/educational than daily.
Storks	a mustering	Rare.
Tigers	an ambush / a streak	Mostly trivia.
Toads	a knot	Fun fact; not daily conversation.
Turtles	a bale / a nest	Mostly trivia; “group of turtles” is common in speech.
Whales	a gam	Rare/old-fashioned; use pod in modern English.

List of Groups of Animals

If you want more practice, here is a longer list of names for groups of animals. Some of these terms are commonly used, while many others are rare or literary.

• Mallards: a sord, a brace
• Magpies: a tiding, a gulp, a murder or a charm
• Nightingales: a watch
• Owls: a parliament
• Parrots: a pandemonium, a company
• Crabs: a consortium
• Herring: an army
• Sharks: a shiver
• Trout: a hover
• Bees: a grist, a hive, a swarm
• Caterpillars: an army
• Clams: a bed
• Cockroaches: an intrusion
• Flies: a business
• Grasshoppers: a cloud
• Lions: a pride
• Martens: a richness
• Moles: a labor
• Monkeys: a troop, a barrel
• Mules: a pack, a span or a barren
• Jellyfish: a bloom, a fluther, a smack
• Lobsters: a risk
• Oysters: a bed
• Snails: a hood
• Squid: an audience
• Apes: a shrewdness
• Badgers: a cete
• Otters: a romp
• Rhinoceroses: a crash
• Squirrels: a dray, scurry
• Tigers: an ambush, a streak
• Bats: a cauldron
• Bears: a sloth, a sleuth
• Bitterns: a sedge
• Buzzards: a wake
• Bobolinks: a chain
• Coots: a cover
• Cormorants: a gulp
• Buffalo: a gang, an obstinacy
• Cats: a clowder, a pounce, a glaring
• Dogs: a litter, a pack
• Donkeys: a pace
• Elephants: a parade, a herd
• Elk: a gang
• Ferrets: a business
• Fox: a leash, a skulk, an earth
• Giraffes: a tower
• Goats: a tribe, a trip, a herd
• Gorillas: a band
• Hippopotamuses: a bloat, a thunder
• Hyenas: a cackle
• Jaguars: a shadow
• Kangaroos: a troop, a mob
• Lemurs: a conspiracy
• Leopards: a leap
• Whales: a pod, a school, or a gam
• Crows: a murder, a horde
• Dotterel: a trip
• Ducks: a brace, a team, a flock (in flight)
• Eagles: a convocation
• Finches: a charm
• Flamingos: a stand
• Geese: a flock
• Grouse: a pack
• Hawks: a cast
• Herons: a sedge, a siege
• Jays: a party, a scold
• Lapwings: a deceit
• Larks: an exaltation
• Partridge: a covey
• Peafowl: an ostentation, a muster
• Penguins: a colony, a muster, a parcel, a rookery
• Plovers: a congregation, a wing (in flight)
• Ptarmigans: a covey
• Rooks: a building
• Quail: a bevy, a covey
• Ravens: an unkindness
• Snipe: a walk, a wisp
• Sparrows: a host
• Starlings: a murmuration
• Storks: a mustering
• Swans: a bevy
• Teal: a spring
• Turkeys: a rafter, a gang
• Woodcocks: a fall
• Woodpeckers: a descent
• Cobras: a quiver
• Crocodiles: a bask
• Frogs: an army
• Toads: a knot
• Turtles: a bale, a nest
• Salamanders: a maelstrom
• Snakes: a nest

Groups of Animals | Infographic

Last Updated on January 15, 2026