![]() Not as regal, but arguably just as important. The US Fish & Wildlife Service asks: “What is more important than the symbol of our country?” Interestingly, a group of alligators is also referred to as a congregation. It typically refers to an important gathering. 5. A convocation of eaglesĪ convocation of eagles sounds regal. The word convocation means a large, formal assembly of people. So, lemurs may lead to conspiracies-but with each other, they’re tight. Lemurs also conspire together against predators using a technique called “mobbing,” in which the entire group attacks a snake. They live in communities of a few to 25 individuals, and they work together-or conspire-to use warning signals to alert other members of pending danger. Lemurs are small, long-tailed primates that live in trees on the island of Madagascar. Bloat means “to become swollen with fluid or gas,” and hippopotamuses have barrel-shaped bodies that look, well, bloated. Hippopotamuses tend to live in a group, or bloat, of 10 to 30 animals led by one dominant male hippo. And, interestingly enough, the term lounge lizard, coined in the early 1900s, is slang for a well-dressed man who hangs out in bars, cafés, and hotel lounges with the aim to seduce wealthy women. Lizards tend to be territorial and use sit-and-wait hunting strategies. Perhaps, Berners observed some lizards lounging in the sun when she coined this one. The adjective flamboyance means “strikingly bold or showy,” and for these social birds that range in color from light pink to bright red, we think it’s properly descriptive. It also seems that Berners had a penchant for poetry and liked alliteration, based on this one. A flamboyance of flamingosĪ flamboyance of flamingos is a colorful and appropriate name for what scientists call a flock of the pink birds. Berners, who had an intimate knowledge of wildlife, may not have intended these names to be taken seriously, but they were repeated through the ages and are now commonly used. The book is attributed to Juliana Berners who gave animal groups imaginative yet oddly appropriate names. ![]() Many of the group names can be traced back to The Book of Saint Albans, published in 1486, about angling, hawking, and hunting. And, many of these animal groups have colorful, fanciful names: a murder of crows, a covey of partridges, a clowder of cats. Strangely, terms of venery is a collective noun that means a group of animals. They celebrate the diversity and wonders of nature, painting a rich tapestry of words that allow us to imagine the elegance and cohesiveness of various species as they come together.What do hunting and sexual desires have in common? We could point to several things, but from a linguistic point of view, we’re referring to the archaic word venery, which means both hunting (from the Latin venor) and sexual desire (from Latin veneria, referring to Venus). These designations reinforce the inherent and prominent traits associated with specific species - the fierceness of tigers, the industriousness of bees, or the efficiency of hummingbirds.Ĭollective nouns for animals not only present an efficient way of describing a group of animals, but they also bring charm, intrigue, and wonder to our vocabulary. There are also collective nouns reserved for specific creatures, like an ambush of tigers, a swarm of bees, a squadron of hummingbirds, or a cete of badgers. These expressions paint a vivid image of birds soaring through the sky, united in their flight. We have terms such as a flock of birds, a colony of penguins, a kettle of hawks, a parliament of owls, or even an exaltation of larks. These terms beautifully evoke the sense of unity, strength, and social structure within these animal groups.įor birds, collective nouns often emphasize their flocking behavior and the awe-inspiring sight of their group formations. The English language has a rich assortment of collective nouns specifically coined for animals that elevate their collective presence into poetic and captivating visualizations.įor example, some collective nouns for mammals include a herd of elephants or cattle, a pod of whales or dolphins, a pack of wolves or dogs, and a pride of lions. These nouns are used to refer to a collection or gathering of animals belonging to the same species. The Fascinating World of Collective Nouns: Unveiling the Secret Language of AnimalsĬollective nouns for animals are unique and often reflect the behavior, characteristics, or attributes of a group of animals.
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