Our weird wonderful English language likes to express the plural of things with a singular noun in front of a plural word - these plural terms are called Terms of Venery.

Most of them were coined in the 15th Century to assist hunters in remembering either a characteristic trait of the animal, or sometimes the animal's habitat. Some are just fun-sounding onomatopoeia, and others are a personal opinion about the animal from whomever coined the term. And some resulted from errors.

The first list are terms that have appeared at some point in general usage, and the second list were made up quite recently (includes many animals not known in 15th Century England, and some terms I have made up). Once you read the ones in the second list, you'll get the general idea of how to make up your own appropriate terms of venery by following the above guidelines (characteristic trait, habitat, fun sounding, personal opinion...and puns). So start making your own, and let the English language continue to evolve! :-D

The lists are alphabetical by animal name; some animals appear in both lists, and for some animals that go by different names (e.g. Dog, Hound, Cur, Pup) there may be multiple entries.

All these terms appear in the most wonderful book "An Exaltation of Larks" by James Lipton from Penguin Books. It has many more terms of venery that apply to hoomans.


LIST #1 - Traditional Terms of Venery

A
A Colony of Ants
A Shrewdness of Apes
A Pass of Asses
B
A Cete of Badgers
A Shoal of Bass
A Sloth of Bears
A Swarm of Bees
A Dissimulation of Birds
A Singular of Boars (go figure)
A Herd of Bucks
C
An Army of Caterpillars
A Clowder of Cats
A Clutter of Cats
A Drove of Cattle
A Peep of Chickens
A Chattering of Choughs (a red-legged crow-like
bird)
A Rag of Colts
A Cover of Coots
A Herd of Cranes
A Murder of Crows
A Herd of Curlews
A Cowardice of Curs
D
A Herd of Deer
A Kennel of Dogs
A Pack of Dogs
A Dule of Doves
A Paddling of Ducks
A Team of Ducks
E
A Convocation of Eagles
A Swarm of Eels
A Herd of Elephants
A Gang of Elk
F
A Business of Ferrets
A Charm of Finches
A Catch of Fish (dead)
A School of Fish (alive) (was originally A Shoal of
Fish)
A Business of Flies
A Colony of Frogs
A Skulk of Foxes
G
A Gaggle of Geese (on water)
A Skein of Geese (in flight)
A Trip of Goats
A Flight of Goshawks
A Cloud of Grasshoppers
A Leash of Greyhounds
H
A Husk of Hare
A Herd of Harts
A Cast of Hawks
A Brood of Hens
A Siege of Herons
An Army of Herring
A Herd of Hinds
A Drift of Hogs
A Harras of Horses
A Herd of Horses
A Mute of Hounds
A Cluster of Housecats
J
A Party of Jays
A Smack of Jellyfish
K
A Mob of Kangaroo
A Troop of Kangaroo
A Kindle of Kittens
L
A Deceit of Lapwings
An Exaltation of Larks
A Leap of Leopards
A Flock of Lice
A Pride of Lions
A Plague of Locusts
M
A Tidings of Magpies
A Sorde of Mallards
A Stud of Mares
A Richness of Martens
A Leash of Merlins
A Labor of Moles
A Barrel of Monkeys
A Barren of Mules
N
A Watch of Nightingales
O
A Parliament of Owls
A Team of Oxen
P
A Covey of Partridge
A Company of Parrots
An Ostentation of Peacocks
A Colony of Penguins
A Nye of Pheasants
A Congregation of Plovers
A String of Ponies
A School of Porpoises
A Run of Poultry
A Litter of Pups
R
A Colony of Rabbits
A Field of Racehorses
An Unkindness of Ravens
A Crash of Rhinoceroses
A Bevy of Roebucks
A Building of Rooks
A Hill of Ruffs (male sandpiper-like bird;
female = reeve)
S
A Pod of Seals
A Raft of Sea Otters
A Flock of Sheep
A Dopping of Sheldrakes
A Quantity of Smelt
A Walk of Snipe
A Couple of Spaniels
A Host of Sparrows
A Dray of Squirrels
A Murmuration of Starlings
A Mustering of Storks
A Flight of Swallows
A Wedge of Swans
A Sounder of Swine
T
A Spring of Teal
A Mutation of Thrushes
A Knot of Toads
A Hover of Trout
A Rafter of Turkeys
A True Love of Turtledoves
A Bale of Turtles
V
A Nest of Vipers
W
A Nest of Wasps
A Gam of Whales
A Destruction of Wildcats
A Route of Wolves
A Fall of Woodcock
A Descent of Woodpeckers
A Can of Worms
A Herd of Wrens


LIST #2 - Modern Terms of Venery

A
An Aarmory of Aardvarks
B
A Rumpus of Baboons
A Malocclusion of Beavers
A Scold of Bluejays
A Chain of Bobolinks
C
A Merde of Caniches
A Radiance of Cardinals
A Pounce of Cats
A Pew of Church Mice
A Flaccidity of Clams
A Quiver of Cobras
A Gulp of Cormorants
A Commute of Cormorants (every morning they fly from around Oakland, turn left at Treasure Island, and out to their feeding grounds in the Pacific, and fly back the same route each evening)
A Rumination of Cows
A Wiliness of Coyotes
A Scuttle of Crabs
A Crackle of Crickets
A Float of Crocodiles
D
An Extinction of Dodobirds
E
A Jubilee of Eagles
F
A Conflagration of Fireflies
A Kettle of Fish
A Stand of Flamingo
G
A Totter of Giraffes
A Glister of Goldfinches
A Glint of Goldfish
An Implausibility of Gnus
A Drumming of Grouse
H
A Bloat of Hippopotami
A Howl of Hounds
A Shimmer of Hummingbirds
A Cackle of Hyenas
K
A Begging of Koi
M
A Machination of Monkeys
O
A Buffoonery of Orangutans
A Wobble of Ostrich
A Romp of Otters
P
A Prattle of Parrots
A Waddle of Pekingese
A Parade of Penguins
A Dropping of Pigeons
A Vise of Pitbulls
An Impossibility of Platypuses
A Prickle of Porcupines
An Improbability of Puffins
A Prowl of Puma
A Piddle of Puppies
R
A Mask of Raccoons
A Battery of Rams
A Rhumba of Rattlesnakes
A Headcock of Robins
A Ruination of Rodents
S
A Time-Step of Sandpipers
A Squabble of Seagulls
A Shiver of Sharks
A Venom of Spiders
A Ubiquity of Sparrows
A Scurry of Squirrels
A Clutter of Starlings
A Swoop of Swallows
T
A Streak of Tigers
A Durante of Toucans
A Deathrow of Turkeys (in November)
U
A Marvel of Unicorns
V
A Wake of Vultures
W
A Gatling of Woodpeckers