What Is a Group of Birds Called? When It's Not a Flock

If you've ever played trivia nights or read old literature, you may have stumbled on the question: What is a group of birds called?

The answer isn't always as simple as "flock." Buckle up, because you're heading straight into the world of poetic, quirky, and sometimes baffling collective nouns.

Common Collective Nouns for Birds

The most familiar group name is "flock," used for many bird species in flight or foraging together. It's a catch-all term you can safely use for starlings, finches, pigeons, or sparrows.

But English is packed with more vivid alternatives. Some—like "murder of crows" or "gaggle of geese"—have made their way into everyday speech.

Others are less known: a "murmuration" of starlings, a "parliament" of owls, or a "watch" of nightingales.

These collective nouns ref