Animal group names
A herd of zebras is migrating across the savanna.
The pride of lions were sleeping lazily under the tree.
A swarm of bees are building a hive in the attic.
The litter of puppies play together in the yard.
Did you know that animals have collective noun terms? This post is ALL about them: we cover the names for animal collectives, broken down by species and animal type. It’s safe to say that this list is pretty wild, pun intended.
Regale in the absurdity of these animal collective group names, such as an implausibility of gnus, or a mischief of mice. We hope you find these names entertaining, at the very least.
What are singular and plural nouns?
When we speak or write, we communicate in count or number even if we don’t consciously realize it. Language is structured to reflect the count of subjects (or sentence objects) by distinguishing between when there is one of something, or more than one: i.e., singular and plural noun forms. Grammar rule: singular nouns refers to one subject or object. Plural nouns refers to more than one person, place, thing or idea.
Animal collectives, create silly mental images that link the animal to its unique and often absurd group name, like picturing mischievous mice.
What’s a collective noun?
We’re not talking about the band, Animal Collective, though they do make good music. In English, nouns (which are names given to people, places, things and ideas) come in two kinds, singular or plural, as mentioned in the above section. When it comes to animals, things can get a bit tricky, since animals are creatures that roam either on their own, like a lone wolf; other times, they live in groups, such as any of the herd species.
Because of the variety of ways in which animals live with respect to quantity or count, English has evolved to reflect their ways of social or asocial living. The following are a comprehensive live list of animal collective nouns, for your reference and ease of perusal.
A list of all the animal collective group names
| animal (mammals) | collective name |
| Cheetahs | A coalition |
| Apes | A shrewdness or troop |
| Dolphins | A pod, herd or school |
| Elephants | A parade or herd |
| Bears | A slot/sleuth |
| Donkeys | A herd or pace |
| Elk | A gang or herd |
| Giraffes | Tower or herd |
| Horses | A harras, span or string |
| Mice | A mischief or nest |
| Lions | A pride |
| Monkeys | A troop |
| animal (birds) | collective name |
| Bitterns | A sedge |
| Bobolinks | A chain |
| Buzzards | Wake |
| Coots | A cover |
| Cormorants | A gulp |
| Dotterel | Trip |
| Grouse | A pack |
| Hawks | Cast or kettle |
| Herons | Sedge or siege |
| Jays | Party or scold |
| Lapwings | A deceit |
| Larks | An exaltation! |
| Mallards | A sord |
| Magpies | Tiding or gulp |
| Nightingales | A watch |
| Partridge | A covey |
| Peafowl | An ostentation |
| Penguins | Colony, muster, parcel or rookery |
| Parrots | A pandemonium |
| Geese | A gaggle (on ground), a skein (in flight), a wedge (in-flight, in v-formation) |
| Flamingos | A flamboyance |
| Crows | A murder |
| Ravens | An unkindness |
| Eagles | A convocation, aerie |
| Emus | Mob |
| Doves | A dole |
| Ducks | A paddling or raft (on water) |
| Bees | A grist, hive or swarm |
| Caterpillars | An army |
| Clams | A bed |
| Crabs | A consortium |
| Cockroaches | An intrusion |
| Flies | A business |
| Jellyfish | A bloom, fluther or smack |
| Squid | An audience |
Work Sheet
According to the blog post, what does a collective noun for animals typically refer to?
Based on the list provided in the blog post, what is a common collective noun for a group of lions?
Which animal collective noun is listed in the blog post as an example of an “absurd” or “wild” name?
According to the blog post’s usage note, how can collective nouns like “herd” or “pride” be treated grammatically?
Which collective noun for a group of parrots is listed in the blog post?
The blog post’s list indicates that a group of giraffes can be called a _____.
According to the list in the post, a group of dolphins can be called a _____, herd, or school.
The blog post mentions a group of mice is called a _____.
Following the example in the post where the collective noun is treated as individuals: “The pride of lions _____ sleeping lazily under the tree.”
To treat ‘swarm’ as a single unit, the correct verb for “A swarm of bees _____ building a hive in the attic” is _____.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an animal collective noun?
+
How do I use animal collectives?
+
What verb rule applies to collectives?
+
Give a correct collective noun example.
+
Give an incorrect collective example.
+
Yash, D. "Animal Collectives: A Complete List of Collective Nouns for Animals." Grammarflex, Jun 21, 2025, https://www.grammarflex.com/animal-collectives-a-complete-list-of-collective-nouns-for-animals/.
Sources
-
Animal Collective
