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COLLECTIVE NOUNS for Birds (D)

COLLECTIVE NOUNSENSE
  • WITH CROWS IT’S CALLED A 'HOVER'
  • WHEN THEY 'SWIRL' WITH ONE ANOTHER
  • – AND IN CASE YOU ARE A BIRDER –
  • WELL YOU KNOW THE WORD IS 'MURDER'
  • FOR THE LARGER OF A –‘CAWING!’
  • ‘GROUP’ OF CROWS …
  • AND FOR RAVENS AN 'UNKINDNESS'
  • OR 'CONSPIRACY' – OR 'BLINDNESS!'
  • AND FOR DUCKS IT'S CALLED A 'SAFE'
  • WHEN ON THE SHORE ...
  • – A 'PADDLING' ON THE WATER
  • ‘DOPPING’ WHEN THEY ‘DUCK’ FOR FODDER
  • AND A 'FLIGHT' WHEN ON
  • THE WING TO SOUTHAMORE ...
  • AND I SAY WITH ... HESITATION
  • THAT THE TERM IS 'LAMENTATION'
  • FOR A WAY TO NAME A
  • HONKING 'GROUP' OF SWANS,
  • AND A 'CONVEY' FOR THE GROUSE
  • ‘FLUSHING’ FROM A SAGEBRUSH HOUSE
  • AND A 'STARTLE' IF YOUR STEP IS NIGH & NEAR ...
  • CAUSE THEY THINK YOU CANNOT SEE
  • AND DO NOT HEAR!
  • WHEN THEY 'FLY' UPON YOUR PRESENCE
  • YOU MAY SAY 'BOUQUET' OF PHEASANTS
  • OR YOU CAN CALL A PHEASANT 'GROUP' A 'NYE'
  • AND A 'MUSTERING' OF STORKS
  • 'EXULTATION' OF THE LARKS!
  • AND A 'SPRING' FOR WHEN YOU SPEAK
  • A 'GROUP' OF TEAL ...
  • AND BY 'SPEAK' I MEAN TO VOCALIZE WITH ZEAL!
  • NOW IF YOUR DUCK'S A MALLARD
  • – SO AS NOT TO BE A DULLARD –
  • IF THEY'RE TAKING–FLIGHT YOU CALL
  • THE 'FLIGHT' A 'SORD'
  • – ‘LORD’!
  • FOR EVERY BIRD A SILVER-DOLLAR WORD!
  • AND TO ADD TO ALL THE MUDDLING
  • IF THEY FLOAT IT'S CALLED A 'PUDDLING'
  • IF THEY 'GROUP' WELL THEN THE TALK IS OF A 'FLOCK'!
  • AND FOR GEESE YOU SAY A 'GAGGLE'
  • WHEN THEY 'WADDLE' AND THEY 'WAGGLE'
  • IF THEY'RE 'SOARING' LIKE A PLANE
  • YOU'D SAY A 'SKEIN'
  • AND I SAY WITH ...TREPIDATION
  • THAT THE TERM IS 'OSTENTATION'
  • FOR A WAY TO NAME THE
  • PEACOCK AS A 'GROUP'
  • AND A 'PITYING' OF DOVES
  • – SO THEY MUST 'CONSOLE' THEIR LOVES?
  • AND A 'BEVY' WHEN YOU SPEAK
  • A 'GROUP' OF QUAIL!
  • IF YOU HAVE A 'GROUP' OF OWLS
  • IT'S A 'PARLIAMENT' OF OWLS
  • OR YOU CAN SAY A 'WISDOM' OR A 'STARE'
  • AND A 'CHATTERING' OF CHOUGH
  • – IF YOU HAVEN'T HAD ENOUGH –
  • AND A 'HILL' A 'REEL' OR
  • ‘RUMOR’ OF THE RAIL ...
  • WORDS AS FANCY AS THE FANNING PEACOCK TAIL!
  • THERE ARE MORE EXOTIC NAMES
  • THAT INSPIRE MNEMONIC GAMES
  • BUT YOU WONDER WHY WE
  • DON'T JUST SAY A 'GROUP'
  • AND NO ONE CAN EXPLAIN
  • WHY THE NAMES ARE SO INANE...
  • BUT I THINK I CAN PROVIDE YOU WITH THE 'SCOOP'
  • A 'RAFT' OF 'LOONS' CONSULTED
  • FOR 'NAMING' NIGH EXULTED
  • PLACED A 'LIST' BEFORE
  • A 'WISDOM' OF THE 'OWLS'
  • WHO SUBMITTED TO A 'REGAL'
  • AND POMPOUS 'DICTION' EAGLE
  • AND NOW WE HAVE A
  • ‘NOUNSENSE’ OF THE 'FOWLS?'
  • AND BY THIS I ALSO MEAN WITH TWICE THE 'VOWELS!'
  • —  Robert Douglas   (February – 2013)
a ladle of Dippers
a doppling of (flightless) Diver
an extinction of (flightless) Diatryma
an dearth of Dodos
an extinction of Dodos
an extinctitude of Dodos
a waddle of Dodos
an extinction of (White) Dodos
a trip of Dotterel
a brood of Dovelets
an arc of Doves
a cote of Doves
a cove of Doves
a dole of Doves
a dule of Doves
an exaltation of Doves
a flight of Doves
a flock of Doves
a funeral of Doves
a piteousness of Doves
a pitying of Doves
a prettying of Doves
a true love of Doves
a civilization of (Inca) Doves
a funeral of (Mourning) Doves
a brace of (Stork) Doves
a leash of (Stork) Doves
a bunch of Drongos
a clutch of Ducklings
a badelynge of Ducks
a badling of Ducks
a battling of Ducks
a bed of Ducks
a brace of Ducks
a brood of Ducks
a bunch of Ducks
a coil of Ducks
a company of Ducks
a daggle of Ducks
a diving of Ducks
a dopping of Ducks
a flock of Ducks
a flight of Ducks
a flush of Ducks
a game of Ducks
a gathering of Ducks
a knob of Ducks
a leash (three) of Ducks
a little knob of Ducks
a lute of Ducks
a paddle of Ducks
a paddling of Ducks
a pair of Ducks
a plump of Ducks
a pryde of Ducks
a puddle of Ducks
a puddling of Ducks
a raft of Ducks
a safe of Ducks
a skein of Ducks
a smeath of Ducks
a sord of Ducks
a sorde of Ducks
a sore of Ducks
a sort of Ducks
a string of Ducks
a suce of Ducks
a sute of Ducks
a team of Ducks
a trip of Ducks
a “V” formation of Ducks
a wabbling of Ducks
a waddling of Ducks
a wedge of Ducks
a family of (brown-speckled) Ducks
an awning of (Canvass-back) Ducks
a raft of (Canvass-back) Ducks
a sail of (Canvass-back) Ducks
a buffoonery of (Harlequin) Ducks
a clowning of (Harlequin) Ducks
a gang of (Masked) Ducks
a flock of (Pintail) Ducks
a spring of (Pintail) Ducks
a bunch of (wild) Ducks
a fleet of (wild) Ducks
a gang of (wild) Ducks
a pack of (wild) Ducks
a party of (wild) Ducks
a raft of (wild) Ducks
a discomfiture of (wood) Ducks
a flight of Dunbirds
a rush of Dunbirds
a freeze of Dunkadoos
a pretense of Dunkadoos
a sedge of Dunkadoos
a siege of Dunkadoos
a flight of Dunlins
a fling of Dunlins
a trip of Dunlins