Birds are endothermic (warm-blooded) vertebrates and are the only animals that have feathers. Birds are incredibly diverse in size, color, and lifestyles. They range in size from the 2.5 inch, 0.08 ounce Bee Hummingbird to the size of a huge 300 pound bird such as the Ostrich. They also feed from a wide range of food items such as nectar, seeds, insects, fish, rodents, carrion, or even on other birds. Due to their ability to fly, birds have adapted and lived in diverse habitats covering nearly every part of the Earth - from frozen polar zones to the hot barren deserts. Due to the diversity of birds in terms of size, color, lifestyles and the habitats in which they live, it has become a necessity for scientists to group birds, by searching for common structural characteristics of their anatomy and similarities in their genetic make up. Thus, you can differentiate between all birds based on these structural characteristics of their anatomy and similarities in the genetic make up. This means that, it is possible for us to differentiate a duck, goose, dove etc. from each other when we see one.

There are a wide variety of words that are used to describe groups of birds according to their kind. Many of these group names have their origins way back in history, while others are recent additions. This article will therefore provide a list of terms used to describe groups of various types of birds. You will definitely learn a few and should even ponder why some of these interesting names are given to specific group of birds. If you do lots of puzzles and quizzes on a regularly basis then you should also find this Group Names for Birds (Collective Nouns for Birds) very useful.

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Bird             Group Name of Bird

A
Auks:............................A raft, colony, flock of auks
Avocets:........................A colony of avocets

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B
birds:...........................A covey, dissimulation, fleet, flight, parcel, pod, volery of birds
bitterns:........................A sedge, sedge of bitterns
bobolinks:......................A chain of bobolinks
bullfinches:....................A bellowing of bullfinches
bustards:.......................A flock of bustards
buzzards:.......................A wake of buzzards

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C
capercaillies:.................A tok of Capercaillies
capons:........................A mews of capons
chickens:......................A peep, brood, cletch, clutch of chickens
chicks:.........................A clutch of chicks
choughs:.......................A clattering, chattering of choughs
coots:...........................A cover, commotion, covert, fleet, flock, pod, raft, rasp, swarm of coots
cormorants:...................A flight, gulp of cormorants
cranes:.........................A sedge of cranes
crows:..........................A hover, murder, muster, parcel , storytelling of crows
curlews:........................A head, herd of curlews

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D
dotterel:........................A trip of dotterel
doves:...........................A dole, dule, flight, piteousness, pitying, prettying of doves
ducks:...........................A dopping (diving), plump (flying), paddling (on water), flush, raft, team of ducks
dunlin:..........................A fling of dunlin

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E
eagles:.........................A convocation of eagles
emus:..........................A mob of emus

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F
falcons:........................A cast of falcons
finches:........................A charm, trembing, trimming of finches
flamingoes:....................A stand of flamingoes

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G
geese:..........................A wedge (flying), flock, gaggle, nide, plump (on water), skein of geese
goldfinches:...................A drum, troubling, charm of goldfinches
goshawks:......................A flight of goshawks
grouse:.........................A covey, lek, pack of grouse
guillemots:.....................A bazaar of guillemots
guinea fowl:...................A confusion of guinea fowl
gulls:............................A colony, screech of gulls

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H
hawks:..........................A mew (s), cast, aerie, cast, kettle, moulting,
screw, stream of hawks
hens:............................A brood of hens
herons:.........................A siege, flight, hedge, rookery, sedge
of herons
hummingbirds:................A charm, hover of hummingbirds

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J
jackdaws:......................A train of jackdaws
jays:.............................A band, party, scold of jays

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L
lapwings:......................A deceit, desert of lapwings
larks:...........................An exaltation, ascension, bevy, flight of larks
linnets:.........................A parcel of linnets

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M
magpies:.......................A tiding(s), charm, flock, gulp, murder, tiding,
tittering, tribe, congregation of magpies
mallards:......................A lute, flush, puddling, sute, sord of mallards
martens:.......................A richness of martens
moorhens:.....................A plump of moorhens
mudhen:.......................A fleet of mudhen

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N
nightingales:..................A watch of nightingales

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O
oystercatcher:................A parcel of oystercatchers
owls:............................A parliament, stare of owls

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P
parrots:........................A company, flock, pandemonium, psittacosis of parrots
partridges:....................A bevy, bew, clutch, covey, warren of partridges
peacocks:......................A muster, pride, ostentation of peacocks
penguins:......................A colony, creche, huddle, parcel, rookery of penguins
pheasants:.....................A bouquet, covey, nide, Nye, pheasants of pheasants
pigeons:........................A kit, loft of pigeons
plovers:........................A congregation of plovers
pochards:......................A bunch (small group on water), rush (in flight)
flight (when in the air), knob (small number on water)
poultry:........................A run of poultry
ptarmigan:....................A covey of ptarmigans

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Q
quail:...........................A bevy, covey of quail

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R
ravens:.........................A conspiracy, aerie, conspiracy, unkindness, murder, storytelling
of ravens
redwing:.......................A crowd of Redwing
rooks:..........................A building, clamour, parliament of rooks
ruffs:...........................A hill, sea of ruffs

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S
sandpipers:....................A fling of sandpipers
sea fowl:........................A cloud of sea fowl
seagulls:........................A flock, squabble of seagulls
sheldrakes:.....................A doading of sheldrakes
skylarks:........................An exultation of skylarks
snipe:............................A walk, wisp of snipe
sparrows:.......................A host, quarrel, ubiquity of sparrows
starlings:........................A numeration, scourge, chatter of starlings
storks:...........................A muster, phalanx of storks
swallows:........................A flight, gulp of swallows
swans:...........................An eyrar, bank, bevy, drift, game, herd, lamentation, sownder, squadron, team, wedge (flying), whiteness, whiting of swans
swifts:............................A flock of swifts

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T
teal:.............................A diving, spring of teal
thrushes:.......................A mutation of thrushes
turkeys:.........................A raffle, rafter of turkeys
turtle doves:...................A pitying of turtledoves

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U

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V
vultures:.......................A wake of vultures

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W
waterfowl:.....................A knob, bunch, knob, raft, plump of waterfowl
widgeons:......................A knob, coil of widgeons
wildfowl:.......................A trip, plump of wildfowl
woodcocks:....................A fall of woodcocks
woodpeckers:.................A descent of woodpeckers
wren:...........................A herd of wrens

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X,Y,Z

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