Collective Nouns For Birds

Want to impress whilst on safari? Then here’s the perfect list to brush up your knowledge of collective nouns for birds you might see whilst out birdwatching.

Whilst some collective nouns for the birds of Africa are general and can be used for any subject – swarm, flock, etc. – many other collective animal nouns are specific to a single bird, or even to a bird in a particular state – for example, a ‘badling of ducks’ when they are on the ground only.

Names for collective groups of animals are thought to date from The Book of Saint Albans, published in 1486 by Dame Juliana Berners where many of the collective nouns for were chosen simply for the humorous images they conjure up, or the alliteration.

It’s fairly well known that a group of gulls is a colony… but did you know that a group of perfectly pink flamingos is called a “flamboyance” or a “stand”? And how about bird group names for other aerial species?  There are some more real gems of collective bird nouns below, so have a read and let us know what you think:

List of collective nouns for birds:

A ‘flamboyance’ of flamingos – the collective noun for these beautiful birds

We’ve scoured the internet high and wide to bring you this collection of collective nouns for birds. If you know of any other collective nouns – or indeed have a new idea for a collective noun – join in using the comments below.

And if you’re into more than just birds, have you seen our list of collective nouns for animals?