A flock of turkeys,
A flock of turkeys, a covey of quail, a mob of crows, the last of the seasons hummers, and now a small herd of deer. I've had all of them wander/fly/perch in the yard this morning. 
0
-
much fun to watch the critters...and sadly NO Monarch butterflies this year....dry weather in the SW, crap going on in their wintering spot in messico ....used to be covered her twice a year as they went north then came back ....sad ...and last two weeks the dragon flies have been swarming so that is fun to see 0 -
:?: a murder of crows???
Mike0 -
Mooses?? :? :roll:0 -
Sadly no Meeses or Mooses and no special group nomenclature simply the generic "herd"
Mike0 -
Yes! That's the word I was looking for, though they act more like a mob.mrmike08075 wrote::?: a murder of crows???
Mike0 -
I'm sure there were meeses somewhere around but the mooses are all further north and east of me, though one did pass through La Grande about 15 years ago.mrmike08075 wrote:Sadly no Meeses or Mooses and no special group nomenclature simply the generic "herd"
Mike
The 'herd' consisted of three does and 4 fawns.0 -
You?ve heard of a ?gaggle? of geese or a ?murder? of crows, but what do you call a group of Finches, Jays or Woodpeckers? Generic collective nouns such as ?flock fleet,? or ?dissimulation? can apply to all bird species; however, there are more distinctive terms used for groups of specific types of birds that often are a reflection of the bird?s personality and/or behavior.
While not all of your backyard birds have specific group names, many of them who travel or hang around in groups do so. For example, two of the most desirable birds people see in their yards are Goldfinches and Hummingbirds, and coincidentally both groups are called a ?charm.? If you are looking for a party, hang out with a group of Blue Jays. A group of Blue Jays is often referred to as a ?party? or a ?band.? This may explain why Blue Jays often seem like they are hollering out, maybe they just might be singing or doing the Shout. A group of Woodpeckers hanging together is known as a ?descent.? This makes sense because most Woodpeckers start at the top of trees and then continue to work their way down. If you see a group of Wrens together, then you are witnessing a ?herd? or ?chime? of Wrens. Swallows spend most of their time in the air eating insects, so the group name ?flight? fits them perfectly. A group of Sparrows is known as a ?host.? Even though we backyard birders are the hosts to birds we invite into our spaces, wintertime in Southeastern Arizona enables us to see many exotic Sparrow species. A group of Starlings is referred to as a ?mumuration? or ?chattering.?
Water fowl and birds that live around water also have creative group names when they stay together. Ducks always seem to be in large groups, but do you know what the group is actually called? A group of Ducks are actually referred to as a ?raft? of Ducks. This makes sense because they do seem to glide across the water surface. Herons traveling or living together are called a ?siege.? Koi pond owners would agree this name fits their nature, because Herons are known to snack on the owner?s expensive fish. An unusual group name that might actually be the most appropriate applies to a group of Flamingoes referred to as a ?flamboyance.? How much more flamboyant can you get than wearing pink and high stepping everyday of you life?
Raptors and birds of prey also have unusual group names. Many people have heard the term ?a kettle of Hawks?, but how many people know what a group of Eagles is called? A group of Eagles is called a ?convocation.? Owls may have one of the most unusual group names and they are called a ?parliament.? This makes sense as most people consider British politicians to be a little hooty indeed.
now you can die happy.
And there is only one "Flock of Seagulls" from back in the day on MTV.
Mike0 -
Texans love to keep it simple and call a spade a spade...in this case a "mess" will do. 0 -
Mess of turkeys should be a herd, like cattle. 0 -
A group of turkeys is technically called a ?rafter?, though they are often incorrectly referred to as a ?gobble? or simply a ?flock?.
I saw a group of leisurely folk hanging out on the street corner the other day - and I wonder what it is acceptable to call such a group evincing thuggish behavior...
Since I doubt the vintage popular vernacular can be applied any longer in today's PC snowflake culture...
Mike0 -
Sounds like Sunday dinners for the next 2 months... 0 -
A murder of crows and an exaltation of larks. 0 -
Offhand - in my reference books I think I can name 162 separate collections of actual animals...
And approx. 40 creatures from fantasy or science fiction or horror novels and movies...
Don't get me started extinct animals like dinosaurs or the absurd conspiracy creatures like Bigfoot or Sasquatch or yeti or mothman or Jersey devil or el chupecabra
Or ethnic slurs like fuzzy wuzzy or hu tu...
Mike0 -
mrmike08075 wrote:Sadly no Meeses or Mooses and no special group nomenclature simply the generic "herd"
Mike
Yes.
I have heard of Moose.0 -
We get those same critters with the exception of "Quail". Additionally: Red fox, raccoons, skunks, ferrel cats and on occasion owls that land in our back yard?? 0 -
Here at my place, we have a pretty good population of what we northern Michigander's call Partridges or "Pat's". There is a tree in my hillside yard that I'm not sure what it is but during the late fall and early winter months, is just swarming with Partridges! They are feeding on whatever fruit or buds that tree has retained. Tree is on the steep hillside and pretty much inaccessible to this ole crippled geezer. 0 -
Brookwood, can we assist is a pear tree? :twisted: 0 -
My wife and I have discussed this before. We think all the names for groups of things came from a group of PhD intellectual types sitting around trying to figure out how to seem important and a use for their degree so they started giving different names for groups depending on species. It has to be, otherwise, what logical explanation would there be? I could see having a different name for different type animal. Like herd for land animals, flock for birds, school for aquatic. That would be enough if even that was needed. What could possible be wrong with calling a group something like, you know, a group?!? I guess it is in human nature to want to divide, categorize, and classify into nice boxes. 0 -
bambihunter wrote:My wife and I have discussed this before. We think all the names for groups of things came from a group of PhD intellectual types sitting around trying to figure out how to seem important and a use for their degree so they started giving different names for groups depending on species. It has to be, otherwise, what logical explanation would there be? I could see having a different name for different type animal. Like herd for land animals, flock for birds, school for aquatic. That would be enough if even that was needed. What could possible be wrong with calling a group something like, you know, a group?!? I guess it is in human nature to want to divide, categorize, and classify into nice boxes. It has a lot to do with those who back in the day were setting up the ENGLISH language. Making it so complex that foreigner's would about crap their drawers trying to decipher or learn it.
God Himself did the same thing back when humans were building the Tower of Babel. He took away the common language so everyone of different "tribes" could not understand each other.0 -
But the Babel Fish solved that problem...
At least that's what the guide book said.
Pretentious sesquepedalion
Mike0 -
I am actually surprised, (actually Shocked,) that a Gaggle of Geese - has not been introduced/discussed here.
Mike, being the resident Sesquipedalianist here, I am shocked.
Shocked, I tell you.
Dammit Mike.
I just looked closer at your previous post. You stole my two words Sir. (You pretentious P***k.)
Just kidding, just kidding. I hope you are laughing just now.0 -
Remember you poked the bear...
The term "goose" is more properly used for a female bird, while "gander" refers specifically to a male one. Young birds before fledging are called goslings. The collective noun for a group of geese on the ground is a gaggle; when in flight, they are called a skein, a team, or a wedge; when flying close together, they are called a plump. There are no geeeses or gooses much like the aforementioned and above referenced mooses and meeses...
And your moose knuckle sighting does not count.
I mean really I managed to work a hitchhikers guide to the galaxy reference into a genus and taxonomy name game thread response...
No one will play scrabble or word game or Sudoku or memory or trivial pursuit with me and I do the new York Times crossword puzzle in blue ink...
BTW there is a moosylvania that really exists but it has no moose's or meeses or mouse's for that point...
After watching Post Malone videos last night I now have the memorized lyrics playing in my head.
And don't pick on me I am in a covert black ops robocop and X-men super trooper creating medical facility on a naval base and highly medicated.
And I have not finished reading my L.E. Modesitt "the mage fire war" Recluse series novel.
And I am dogless and ferretless and hedge hogless.
Don't be such an antiestablimentarian or misanthropic huffle puff...
See now there's a Harry Potter reference damn it. :shock:
Mike0 -
Look, I have access to Google and a Thesaurus, if need be.
Do not force me to break out the Big Words.
Your proclivity to elucidate and pontificate, are most deleterious.
Just because you are being held in a Phsyc Ward, on an indeterminate stay, for indeterminate reasons, does not mean that we think anything less of you. If that were possible. :?
Your Pal,
-Ken-0 -
We?ve all heard of herds of cattle, or packs of dogs, but some species get-togethers go by strange names. These little-known terms date back to the 15th century, when English gentlemen would study them in their ?books of venery.? Knowing to call it a ?gaggle? (not a ?group?) of geese was one of the many (strange) markers of gentility at the time.
The terms may seem outdated, but several have so thoroughly embedded themselves in our language that we don?t even realize how strange they are; a ?school? of fish isn?t really any more obvious than a ?murder? of crows, if you think about it!
Would you prove yourself a gentleman? Take our African Animal Quiz and find out just how much you know about the language of animals:
* what do you call a group of pangolins?
1.) Which animal hangs out in a ?bask? or a ?float? (we?ll give you an almost-hint: it?s aquatic)?
a.) Sea turtles
b.) Crocodiles
c.) Hippopotamuses
d.) Tigerfish
2.) Flamingoes are known for their bright pink finery; what are groups of them known as?
a.) A ?bling?
b.) A ?flutter?
c.) A ?flamboyance?
d.) A ?sparkle?
3.) Buffalo seem to derive their group name from one of their most recognizable traits, namely:
a.) Obstinacy
b.) Heaviness
c.) Sluggishness
d.) Buoyancy
4.) Hyenas also have an evocative group name. These predators travel in:
a.) Giggles
b.) Guffaws
c.) Chortles
d.) Cackles
5.) Many animals have more than one possible group name, and some group names can apply to more than one species. If you mention a ?clan,? you could be referring to either:
a.) Honey badgers or hyenas
b.) Wild dogs or cheetahs
c.) Servals or Thomson?s gazelles
d.) Baboons or elephants
6.) Many people know that lions hang out in ?prides,? but their groups are also known as:
a.) Saults
b.) Troops
c.) Both of the above
d.) None of the above
7.) One animal on this list is just screaming for your attention. If you see a ?sounder? in the Serengeti, you?re looking at a group of:
a.) Aardvarks
b.) Warthogs
c.) Pangolins
d.) Leopards
8.) Many animals have military-inspired group names, including:
a.) Giraffes
b.) Frogs (all species)
c.) Elephants
d.) All of the above
Mike0 -
A group of rats or mice is called a mischief.
A group of gerbils is called a clan.
A group of sugar gliders is called a colony.
A group of ferrets is called a business.
A group of skunks is called a surfeit.
A group of rabbits is called herd.
A group of parrots is called a company.
A group of hedgehogs is called an array.
A group of hamsters is called a horde.
A group of fish is called a school.
Mike0 -
Mooses? Geeses?
This guy explains it all!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWzYaZDK6Is0 -
Mooses? Geeses?
This guy explains it all!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWzYaZDK6Is0 -
I also know a Murder of Crows is 4 or more Crows.
3 Crows are called an attempted Murder..........0 -
No comment on Posse or Coffle or chain gang...
Mike0 -
To further muddy the linguistic drift and patois waters...
What's good for the goose is good for the gander
What is good for a man is equally good for a woman; or, what a man can have or do, so can a woman have or do. This comes from an earlier proverb, ?What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.?
Mike0
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Comments
31 comments