By Kari Zelinskas
[from winter 2025 newsletter]
Did you know there are different names for the flocks of birds? You might see a blush of Robins, a charm of Finches, or a confusion of Warblers.
Bird group names are not scientifically based; in fact, the first known list of collective names for birds originated in medieval literature! Most are named after peculiar habits or distinguishing traits such as a murmuration of starlings – the ongoing murmur caused by thousands of beating wings at once.
Here is a small sampling of bird group names that have been added to the list over the years:
- Chickadees: banditry
- Cardinals: vatican, college
- Cowbirds: corral
- Cranes: herd, sedge
- Crows: murder, cauldron
- Doves: dole, bevy
- Geese: gaggle, plump
- Gulls: colony, screech
- Hawks: kettle, cast, boil
- Herons: sedge
- Hummingbirds: bouquet, glitter, shimmering
- Jays: party, scold
- Loons: asylum, cry
- Owls: parliament, bazaar, glaring
- Pheasants: bouquet
- Ravens: congress
- Sparrows: know, flutter, quarrel
- Swallows: gulp, chattering
- Swans: ballet, lamentation
- Turkey: rafter, posse
- Vultures: venue
- Woodpeckers: decent
- Wrens: herd, chime
Photo: Herd of Sandhill Crane
Leopold Memorial Reserve
Sauk County, WI (12/3/25)
