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Groups of Animals

Collective names for groups of animals are said to date back to medieval times, which may explain why some of these names can be strange, surprising or downright funny to us, such as an unkindness of ravens. In the spirit of the fanciful language used by our ancestors, more modern terms for animal groups can have a fun twist, like a crash of rhinoceroses.

List of Names for Groups of Animals

Whether it is a group of mammals, birds or even insects, there is a unique collective noun to identify the specific group, although some of these names are rarely used. Most people are likely to use the general term flock for a group of eagles, rather than the proper term convocation. Still, it's good to know the correct collective noun, even if it's just to wow your friends.

We've gathered together a list of 10 groups of animals and their collective nouns - some animal groups can have more than one collective noun - that you may or may not have heard of. Whenever animals gather in groups, they are formally called:

1. Owls: a parliament
2. Parrots: a pandemonium
3. Pigs: a drift or drove (younger pigs), or a sounder or team (older pigs)
4. Porcupines: a prickle
5. Rabbits: a herd
6. Rats: a colony
7. Ravens: an unkindness
8. Rhinoceroses: a crash
9. Shark: a shiver
10. Skunk: a stench