Weird Names We Give to Animal Groups

Humans have certainly made life difficult for ourselves. English is difficult enough as it is, but we just can’t resist making it even more complicated.

For example, it is easy to see how someone trying to learn English may be confused. Some words are spelled the same way but have completely different meanings. Consider these three sentences:

- The band-aid was wound around the wound.

- I did not object to the object.

- They were too close to the order to close it.

I was doing some research a couple of weeks ago for a story I wrote last month. They kept going on about a “crash of rhinos." I was waiting for the punchline as to why the hippos crashed, but none was forthcoming.

Turns out, it is a modern, descriptive collective noun. It shows the heavy, destructive, and forceful behavior of a group of rhinoceroses. It overlaps with the traditional term "a crash of hippopotamuses."

Hippos and rhinos are both massive and aggressive. That's why the term now refers to both in modern language and wildlife writing. Hippos are also commonly called "a bloat of hippos." People coined this term around 1939 because of their large bellies.

Many strange names describe groups of animals. This makes you wonder: why not just call them all a group?

Some terms we use daily are widely accepted, like a school of fish, a herd of cows, a swarm of flies, or a swarm of bees.

Some names make sense. A tower of giraffes, a tangle of octopuses, a squabble of seagulls, a prickle of porcupines, or a dazzle of zebras. Do you know what animals a kaleidoscope, a flamboyance, a celebration, or a convocation is?

Others feel more poetic. A group of butterflies is called a kaleidoscope. Their swirling wings create a constantly changing pattern of bright colours. When flamingos come together, they make a bold and bright display of pink and coral feathers. Their graceful poses and synchronised moves are a stunning sight. That's why people call them a flamboyance.

A polar bear group is called a "celebration." Polar bears are normally solitary animals that only gather together in rare instances. When they find a big food source, like a whale carcass, they gather. This creates an unusual group that resembles a rare feast or party.

A group of eagles is most commonly called a "convocation." A convocation is a large, formal gathering of people. It shows strength and purpose. Multiple eagles temporarily assemble to roost, feed, or share a thermal updraft. They are normally solitary and territorial. Sometimes, many gather in one spot to take advantage of a rich food source, like fish runs or freshly tilled fields.

Maybe they make sense as well.

To me, polar bears and eagles gather for a similar purpose. You could call both a convocation or a celebration. Here is the thought: let's just call them a group and be done with it!

They are not the standard ones, though. Why do we call a group of hawks a kettle? A group of crows a murder, or a group of snakes a den?

Hawks look for warm, rising columns of air known as thermals. They circle inside these thermals to gain height without flapping their wings. When big numbers rise together on the same thermals, they swirl and churn. It looks like steam or bubbles from a boiling pot.

The term "murder of crows" dates to the fifteenth century. Writers invented imaginative collective nouns—known as terms of venery—for various animals. Crows often gather in large groups at battlefields, gallows, and cemeteries. They feed on carrion, which gives them a grim reputation as omens of death.

The den of snakes, well, that has to do with brumation (a reptile version of hibernation). In colder places, snakes are solitary for most of the year. They go underground in winter. Coiling together in tight groups helps them conserve body heat and survive freezing. I think this should be called a nightmare!

So, there you go. Next time you want to spice up your writing and intrigue your readers, try words like dazzles, conventions, convocations, crashes, and prickles.

Till next time,

Calvin