NZ Birds search logo

COLLECTIVE NOUNS for Birds (B)

STORE GALLERY RESCUE centres MORE Aves TAXONOMY MAORI lore
Select a letter:

"Whilst Watching a Dissimulation of Birds"

By: Celeste Warner
(Wanganui Conservancy, Department of
Conservation, New Zealand)

I saw a leash of hawks unleashed
that brooded with the hens.
A raft of ducks came paddling by
escaping to their dens. A wedge of swans were herded on,
the squadron taking charge,
when a raffle of turkeys
mustered round a mob that was at large. The guillemots at their bazaar
braced for a covey of grouse.
When out of the sky a descent of woodpeckers
chased a little brown mouse. A company of widgeon
joined with a teal knob,
as a pack of gulls colonised
a half-eaten corn cob. The flamboyance of the flamingos
scoffed at by a flock of bustards,
troubled the hummingbirds by calling the jays
a band of hairy bustards. The concentrating kingfishers
joined a congregation of plovers,
as the eagles began a convocation
in a field of clover. I had now become tired
of watching this bird volery,
so the brooding hawks put on a kettle
and I had a cup of tea. The unkindness of the ravens
was a conspiracy galore.
It caught the stare of the owls
on their parliamentary floor. The ostentatious peacocks,
so prideful of their beauty,
tailed a bouquet of pheasants
to the penguins at their rookery. The exaltation of the larks
were heard in high-exalting
by the mallards who were rather flushed
from playing in the puddling. A gaggle of geese were flocked together
charmed by the chattering goldfinches,
when a covert of coots covered a siege
of Bitterns eating their lunches. And in the parish of the rooks
clamoured the ruffs who lived on a hill.
They walked the wispy, lispy snipes
hoping to make a kill. The sparrows set up a quarrel
and the starlings murmured too,
as the thrushes began mutating
after a visit to the partridge bew.
B 
a brook of Babblers
a tower of Babblers
a wedge of Babblers
(Lesser Orange-footed) Bananaguits
a bunch of Bee-eaters
a colony of Bellbirds
a chiming of Bellbirds
a pealing of Bellbirds
a tintinnabulation of Birds
an aerie of Birds
an aggregation of Birds
an assemblage of Birds
an aviary of Birds
a bank of Birds
a battery of Birds
a brace of Birds
a bench of Birds
a bliss of Birds
a congregation of Birds
a couple of Birds
a crossing of Birds
a dissimulation of Birds
a drift of Birds
a drove of Birds
a fleet of Birds
a flew of Birds
a flight of Birds
a flock of Birds
a game of Birds
a grist of Birds
a horde of Birds
a host of Birds
a leash of Birds
a menagerie of Birds
a mess of Birds
a parcel of Birds
a party of Birds
a pod of Birds
a pull of Birds
a raft of Birds
a roost of Birds
a rout of Birds
a rush of Birds
a skiver of Birds
a volary Birds
a volery of Birds
a bunch of (aquatic) Birds
a plump of (aquatic) Birds
a sord of (aquatic) Birds
a sute of (aquatic) Birds
a trip of (aquatic) Birds
a doppling of (aquatic) Birds
a doppling of (flightless) Birds of Passage
a galore of Birds of prey
a brood of Birds of prey
an eyrie of Birds of prey
a nest of Birds of prey
a stooping of Bitterns
a dash of Bitterns
a freeze of Bitterns
a pint of Bitterns
a pretense of Bitterns
a sedge of Bitterns
a sege of Bitterns
a seige of Blackbirds
a cloud of Blackbirds
a cluster of Blackbirds
a flock of Blackbirds
a merl of Blackbirds
a keg of (Brewer’s) Blackbirds
a flock of (Red-winged) Blackbirds
a dissimulation of Blackcaps
a lelt of Blackcocks
a band of Bluejays
a crown of Bluejays
a party of Bluejays
a scold of Bluejays
a scolding of Bluejays
a chain of Bobolinks
a bevy of Bobwhites
a covey of Bobwhites
a name dropping of Bobwhites
an exile of Bonapartes
a congress of Boobies
a hatch of Boobies
a trap of Boobies
a duct of Boubous
a duet of Boubous
a pair of Boubous
a chatter of Budgerigars
a chattering of Budgerigars
a flock of Budgerigars
a chatter of Budgies
a chattering of Budgies
a flock of Budgies
a baffle of Buffleheads
a dufflebag of Buffleheads
a drove of Bullcocks
a bellowing of Bullfinches
a lowing of Bullfinches
a volery of Bullfinches
a decoration of Buntings
a mural of Buntings
a sacrifice of Buntings
a mural of (painted) Buntings
a palette of (painted) Buntings
a drift of (snow) Buntings
a flock of Bustard
a flock of Buzzards
a kettle of Buzzards
a wake of Buzzards

Additions to this list are welcome, especially Australian and New Zealand birds.    EMAIL: narena@nzbirds.com

NZ Birds uses antique print images to illustrate our site. For the purposes of this page, we would be pleased to receive photographs of birds from around the world to illustrate some of the collective nouns. Please EMAIL: jaclyn@nzbirds.com  if you wish to contribute.