An Unkindness of Ravens; a Murder of Crows. Naming Things.

JF Ptak Science Books LLC  Post 690  Blog Bookstore

Names given the collectives or gatherings or units of animals are useful and informative, and occasionally fabulous and bizarre.  It seems to me that such characterizations could be made with people as well,  Why should humans have such a uniform label for collective employment members (a “group” of lawyers, a “gathering” of architects, and so on) when animals have such a rich vocabulary to draw from?  Admitedly, animals don’t go out and get lawyers when they feel maligned by a broadly advanced descriptor, so there’s little chance that more appropriate upfittings could be applied to different job classifications.  Unless of course you consider the “managed corporate associate monetary inventorialist” (cashier) as an example—but that is not what I’m talking about. 

In the animal world, for example, a group of gorillas is a simple “band”, chicks a “clutch”, and quail a “covey”, which is simple enough.  The names get more adventurous as things progress in the food chain:  hippos are a “bloat”, a word which seems to identify a characteristic of the animal, especially when they’re half-submerged, watching the sun move across the sky with their eyes just above the waterline..  Ferrets are a “business”, semi-inscrutable in their nervous activity. Hyenas are a “cackle”, hawks are a “boil” and finches are a “charm”.

A group of rhinos are beautifully referred to as a “crash”, and squirrels are poetically announced as a “scurry”

Perhaps the second greatest of all of these names is that for a gathering of crows, called a “murder”.  It is probably the crow which, among all animals, may be the only one “smart” enough to commit the crime—it is an undoubtedly intelligent animal, with a brain-to-body mass ratio third to that of humans (behind apes) and have been shown to work in concert with one another toward a common end, and have also used tools in the pursuit of food.  They have also been depicted for thousands of years in mythology and story as intelligent, crafty creatures.  My choice for the most fabulously-named:  an “unkindness” of ravens.   These birds enjoy a similar heritage to the crow, but have a greater literary heritage.  Unkindness and Poe seem to go together quite nicely. 

A leap of leopards, a gulp of cormorants, a romp of otters, a parliament of owls.  An ostentation of peacocks, a prickle of porcupines, a stand of flamingoes, a pride of lions, a wake of buzzards, a tower of giraffes: all seem to fit quite nicely. 

What would the human equivalent be?   A "grotesque" or a "provident" of attorneys,  a "shushing" or "shepherding" of librarians, a "scribble" or "release" of writers, an "envy" or "relief" of actors?  I think it needs to be Latin and deep for the politicians.  Very deep. 

(A directory of names follows in the continued reading section)

A band	Gorillas
A bevy, covey	Quail
A bevy, wedge (in flight)	Swans
A bloat	Hippopotamuses
A brace, flock (in flight), raft (on water) team, paddling (on water), badling	Ducks
A brood; clutch	Chicks (of many species)
A building	Rooks
A business	Ferrets
A cackle	Hyenas
A cast, kettle (flying in large numbers), boil (two or more spiraling in flight)	Hawks
A cete	Badgers
A chain	Bobolinks
A charm	Finches
A clowder, a pounce; for kittens...A kindle, litter, an intrigue	Cats
A colony	Bats
A colony	Gulls
A colony	Penguins
A colony, warren, nest, herd (domestic only), litter (young); specific to hares...A down, husk	Rabbits
A company	Parrots
A company	Widgeons
A congregation, wing (in flight)	Plovers
A convocation	Eagles
A cover	Coots
A covey	Partridge
A covey	Ptarmigans
A crash	Rhinoceroses
A deceit	Lapwings
A descent	Woodpeckers
A dray, scurry	Squirrels
A drift, drove, litter (young), sounder (of swine), team, passel (of hogs), singular (refers to a group of boars)	Pigs
A drove, flock, herd	Sheep
A drove, herd	Cattle
A dule, pitying (specific to turtle doves)	Doves
A fall	Woodcocks
A flight	Swallows
A flock, gaggle (on the ground), skein (in flight)	Geese
A gang	Elk
A gang, an obstinacy (I suspect these refer to old world buffalo; use "herd" for American bison)	Buffalo
A gulp	Cormorants
A herd	Elephants
A herd, bevy (refers only to roe deer)	Deer
A host	Sparrows
A labor	Moles
A leap	Leopards
A leash, skulk, earth	Fox
A litter (young), pack (wild), cowardice (of curs); specific to hounds...A cry, mute, pack, kennel	Dogs
A murder, horde	Crows
A murmuration	Starlings
A muster, an ostentation	Peacocks
A mustering	Storks
A nest, nide (a brood), nye, bouquet	Pheasant
A pace	Asses
A pack (in late season)	Grouse
A pack, rout or route (when in movement)	Wolves
A pack, span, barren	Mules
A parliament	Owls
A party, scold	Jays
A pod, gam, herd	Whales
A pod, herd	Seals
A prickle	Porcupines
A pride	Lions
A rafter, gang	Turkeys
A richness	Martens
A romp	Otters
A sedge	Bitterns
A sedge	Cranes
A sedge, a siege	Herons
A Shrewdness	Apes
A sloth, sleuth	Bears
A sord (in flight), brace	Mallards
A spring	Teal
A stand	Flamingos
A streak	Tigers
A team, harras, rag (for colts), stud (a group of horses belonging to a single owner, string (ponies)	Horses
A team, yoke	Oxen
A tiding, gulp, murder, charm	Magpies
A tower	Giraffes
A tribe, trip	Goats
A trip	Dotterel
A troop	Kangaroos
A troop, barrel	Monkeys
A wake	Buzzards
A walk, a wisp	Snipe
A watch	Nightingales
An exaltation	Larks
An unkindness	Ravens

 

Only two animals whose gathering is described by a word beginning with a vowel. 

Comments

[Jeff]

I'd love to give this more thought, but alas. My reflex is to re-use "gaggle" for librarians, or in these modern times perhaps "google." But at heart I'm more romantic. I like a "hush" of librarians.

[smallbluebird]

As a librarian, I like a google of librarians. Hubby is a photographer so maybe a click of photographers or a flatter of photographers if it's fashion photography. With regard to lawyers, a crook of lawyers unless judgement goes your way, then perhaps a victory of lawyers. Great conversation topic and provocative post. Thanks.

[John Ptak]

Jeff: I like a "hush"; "gaggle" is very close to SBB's "google", which I also like quite a bit. Perhaps a Hush google of librarians? SBB: "victory" and "Lawyer" doesn't really compute to me. A "Poe" of lawyers is better for me, or a "pursuit", or "crucible", or "pestle". "Flatter" of photographs is good. How about "make", "weegee", "positive". Flatter is best.

[Jeff]

A click of photographers and a pursuit of lawyers. I like those. (BTW, smallbluebird, I'm a librarian, too, so I can make librarian jokes.) Click: I wish I'd thought of that.