Collective Nouns for Birds

I thought the class might be interested in some of these names for groups of birds:

Sorted by Noun

Sorted by Bird Type

aerie of eagles aerie of hawks ascension of larks band of jays bevy of doves bevy of quail bevy of swans bouquet of pheasants (when flushed) brace of ducks brood of chickens brood of chicks brood of hens brood of turkeys (immature) building of rooks bury of conies cast of hawks chain of bobolinks charm of finches charm of goldfinches charm of hummingbirds chattering of choughs chattering of chicks clamor of rooks clutch of chicks colony of gulls colony of penguins colony of vultures company of parrots congregation of birds congregation of plovers conspirancy of ravens convocation of eagles cote of doves cover of coots covey of pheasants (on the ground) covey of ptarmigans covey of grouse covey of partridges covey of quail crèche of penguins deceit of lapwings descent of woodpeckers dissimulation of birds dole of doves dule of turtledoves dule of doves exaltation of larks fall of woodcocks flight of birds flight of cormorants flight of doves flight of pigeons flight of swallows flock of birds flock of chickens flock of ducks flock of geese flock of pigeons flock of swifts flock of turkeys flush of ducks gaggle of geese hedge of herons herd of curlews herd of swans host of sparrows huddle of penguins kettle of hawks lamentation of swans mob of emus murder of crows murmuration of starlings muster of peacocks muster of storks mustering of storks nest of pheasants nide of pheasants (on the ground) nye of pheasants (on the ground) ostentation of peacocks pack of grouse paddling of ducks parcel of penguins parliament of rooks parliament of owls party of jays peep of chickens piteousness of doves pitying of turtledoves plump of wildfowl plump or waterfowl raft of wigeons raft of ducks rafter of turkeys rookery of penguins scold of jays sedge of bitterns sedge of cranes sedge of herons siege of bitterns siege of cranes siege of herons skein of geese (in flight) skein of goslings sord of mallards spring of teals storytelling of crows storytelling of ravens storytelling of rooks team of ducks tidings of magpies unkindness of ravens volery of birds wake of buzzards walk of snipes watch of nightingales wedge of geese (flying in a 'V') wedge of swans (flying in a 'V') wing of plovers wisdom of owls wisp of snipes

congregation of birds dissimulation of birds flight of birds flock of birds volery of birds sedge of bitterns siege of bitterns chain of bobolinks wake of buzzards brood of chickens flock of chickens peep of chickens brood of chicks chattering of chicks clutch of chicks chattering of choughs bury of conies cover of coots flight of cormorants sedge of cranes siege of cranes murder of crows storytelling of crows herd of curlews bevy of doves cote of doves dole of doves dule of doves flight of doves piteousness of doves brace of ducks flock of ducks flush of ducks paddling of ducks raft of ducks team of ducks aerie of eagles convocation of eagles mob of emus charm of finches flock of geese gaggle of geese wedge of geese (flying in a 'V') skein of geese (in flight) charm of goldfinches skein of goslings covey of grouse pack of grouse colony of gulls aerie of hawks cast of hawks kettle of hawks brood of hens hedge of herons sedge of herons siege of herons charm of hummingbirds band of jays party of jays scold of jays deceit of lapwings ascension of larks exaltation of larks tidings of magpies sord of mallards watch of nightingales parliament of owls wisdom of owls company of parrots covey of partridges muster of peacocks ostentation of peacocks colony of penguins crèche of penguins huddle of penguins parcel of penguins rookery of penguins nest of pheasants covey of pheasants (on the ground) nide of pheasants (on the ground) nye of pheasants (on the ground) bouquet of pheasants (when flushed) flight of pigeons flock of pigeons congregation of plovers wing of plovers covey of ptarmigans bevy of quail covey of quail conspirancy of ravens storytelling of ravens unkindness of ravens building of rooks clamor of rooks parliament of rooks storytelling of rooks walk of snipes wisp of snipes host of sparrows murmuration of starlings muster of storks mustering of storks flight of swallows bevy of swans herd of swans lamentation of swans wedge of swans (flying in a 'V') flock of swifts spring of teals flock of turkeys rafter of turkeys brood of turkeys (immature) dule of turtledoves pitying of turtledoves colony of vultures plump of waterfowl raft of wigeons plump of wildfowl fall of woodcocks descent of woodpeckers

Session 9 - 24th March 2013

Report to follow soon ...

Session 8 - 14th March 2013

We began the session with a recap on the birds seen during our full day fieldtrip to Fairburn Ings RSPB last week, and a total of 57 species were agreed by the class as a whole.  Then Peter asked us to consider which places we would like to go to on our seven half day fieldtrips which make up next term.  A sheet was also given out for us to complete regarding topics we would like to cover in the next academic year.

The main focus of this session was on the second part of Bird Migration - the amazing statistics.  Migration is one of the most astonishing feats of the natural world with millions of birds migrating over long distances in order to benefit from seasonal resource surpluses and to avoid predators and competitors.

The scale of bird migration is difficult to comprehend - here is a rough estimate of the European population of common migratory species returning to Africa with their newly fledged juveniles each Autumn:

Migrating Bird	Number (in millions)
Willow Warbler	900
Sand Martin	375
Tree Pipit	260
Spotted Flycatcher	250
Swallow	220
Blackcap	200
Garden Warbler	200
Lesser Whitethroat	150
Wheatear	120
Redstart	120
Whitethroat	120
Ortolan Bunting	120
House Martin	90
Yellow Wagtail	70
Whinchat	45
Pied Flycatcher	30

The above 16 species alone account for 3,300 million migrants going into Africa. On top of this another 50 species of songbirds go into Africa in varying numbers as well as about 40 million birds of prey, which are mainly falcons but with up to 1 million being Steppe Buzzards (Eastern Race). About 700,000 White Storks also leave Europe for Africa and small passerines including a huge number of Swifts also account for another 200 million birds.  In total therefore, around 500 million birds migrate to Africa each year and this excludes waders, sea birds and water birds.  This means that on average one bird from every five acres of Europe migrates there - phew!

The birds migrate on a broad front across 2,500 miles from Portugal to Eastern Turkey. 500 million migrants means 2 million birds per mile of coastline each autumn.  The main migration event lasts six weeks and that mean 50,000 birds cross each mile of coastline each night.

We finished off this topic by looking at the migratory habits of some individual species including Robin, Chaffinch, Blackbird as well as what triggers migration and which time of day each species migrates.  We also briefly considered the migration routes for different types of birds, with large birds such a Cranes and some birds of prey not being able to sustain flapping flight choosing the path with the shortest area of water to cross, such as at Gibraltar or the east end of the Mediterranean Sea.

With spring nearly upon us, we next looked at the Raptors which are summer visitors (March to October) to Britain. In addition to the twelve winter Raptors discussed in a previous session, a further four are summer only visitors, with only the Marsh Harrier being either resident or migratory.  The four 'extra' birds are:

• Montagu's Harrier
• Honey Buzzard
• Hobby
• Osprey

The best way to identify these summer Raptors is to familiarise ourselves with our common residents, so that differences can be identified.  The way a Buzzard or Harrier flies should be known as well as how the three resident falcons behave. It is only when the common birds can be confidently identified that the scarcer birds which are not seen all year round can be spotted.

The ability to differentiate between flying Buzzards and Harriers is vital and once this is learnt, we need to know which features separate our Common Buzzard from the Honey-buzzard in flight, and know how they hold their wings when soaring or gliding. The Honey Buzzard holds its wings very flat and it has a longer tail whereas the Common Buzzard's wings are held in a much deeper V shape and its tail length doesn't exceed its wing width.  The Honey Buzzard generally has three unevenly spaced dark bands underneath with a broad terminal band.

The Peregrine and Merlin are two falcons which chase birds and so they have broad based wings for power and fast flapping flight. The Kestrel however is a falcon which doesn't chase birds, preferring to eats voles and small rodents and so it drops on its prey from a height.  Its narrower pointed wings are built for hovering and its tail length is much longer as it is used for stability in the air.  The Hobby which eats both dragonflies and sometimes small birds also has narrow pointed wings.

We went on to look at Wykeham Forest which is a site in Yorkshire 10 miles east of Pickering on the road to Scarborough which is famed for its views of Goshawks and, from May to August, Honey Buzzards.  A map was given out as well as directions to the Forestry Commission's Raptor Viewpoint overlooking the keepered woods to the north of the viewpoint.  Goshawks can be seen all year round above the breeding wood but are best seen on calm sunny days from February to late April when they engage in their 'skydancing' breeding behaviour.

Summarise Yorkshire Post article on Goshawks and Honey Buzzards here ...

Our Bird in Focus this week was the Yellowhammer which was once a very common bird in Britain but which sadly is now in decline. We read through another article from Yorkshire Post ....

Male Kingfisher at Moore Nature Reserve - (c) Martyn Jones

Martyn then did his usual 'show and tell', with closeup photos of a male Kingfisher as well as female Reed Bunting that he just wanted confirming.  He also had some record shots of the hard to find female Lesser Spotted Woodpecker from Moore Nature Reserve in Warrington.

Finally some map and direction sheets were given out for Dunsop Bridge and Pendle Hill in Lancashire for those members of the class who wanted to go to look for Goshawks and Dotterel in these two places respectively.

Bird in Focus - Yellowhammer

Male Yellowhammers are unmistakeable with a bright yellow head and underparts, brown back streaked with black, and chestnut rump. In flight it shows white outer tail feathers. They are often seen perched on top of a hedge or bush, singing. Its recent population decline make it a Red List species.

Yellowhammers are found across the UK but are least abundant in the north and west, and absent from some upland areas, such as the Pennines and Highlands of Scotland, as well as some lowland areas, such as the Inner Hebrides and the Orkneys. They favour farmland and open countryside with bushes and hedgerows.

Yellowhammers can be seen all year round and they eat seeds and insects.

Session 7 - Fieldtrip to RSPB Fairburn Ings - 7th March 2013

Tree Sparrow - (c) Alan Flavell

After a horrendous journey through bad weather and roadworks up the M62 toward Leeds, we eventually arrived at the RSPB's Fairburn Ings Visitor Centre at around 11am.

The weather was fairly dull at first but there were brighter interludes during the course of the day and it didn't really rain.

Smew was the order of the day, at least as far as Peter was concerned, and much of the day turned out to be Peter Baron's 'Smew Quest' (with a nod to David Attenborough).

Female Siskin - (c) Alan Flavell

There were all the usual Titmice (Blue, Great, Long-tailed Tits) and Finches (Goldfinch and Greenfinch) as well as a Robin, Blackbird and two Dunnocks, but the star attractions were the male and female Siskins, a Lesser Redpoll, the many Tree Sparrows, a Willow Tit and a Treecreeper.

When I saw a Siskin on a wellington boot seed feeder I instantly knew it could be a good 'competition shot' for Alan, who was busy firing off a few rounds.

Male Siskin given the boot - (c) Alan Flavell

After this we moved on to the Pickup Hide where we saw Reed Bunting and more Tree Sparrows, Chaffinches, two circling Buzzards being mobbed by a Carrion Crow, with a Grey Heron and a Cormorant doing a flypast.



We then followed the woodland trail past the Feeder Screen round to the Kingfisher Screen, first hearing and then seeing a Coal Tit on the way, but with no sign of any Kingfishers - perhaps they should think about renaming it!

Then we followed the path more or less parallel to the River Aire to the Bob Dickens Hide overlooking the Main Bay.  This was a good place to stop for lunch as it was just the right size to seat our ten-strong party of birders. Here we saw male and female Goldeneye and Goosander, Shelduck, Jackdaws, some Great Crested Grebes, Mute Swans, Mallards and Teal. No Smew though.

We moved on to the Village Bay Hide which provided a very good viewpoint, but through which was blowing a freezing cold wind - needless to say, we didn't stay too long. Before we left we did add a group of early roosting Cormorants and Gadwall to the day list, but still no Smew.

This was followed by quite a long and fairly unproductive walk through the trees on a raised path separating the lake from the river with just the occasional glimpse of the the water. From the bridge overlooking the west end of Village Bay the 'Smew Quest' continued, but we only got more views of the same birds we'd seen from the previous hide.

Oystercatcher on a stick anyone?

We moved on to Charlie's Hide where some of the class were rewarded by the sight of a Kingfisher flying up the stream and briefly perching on a branch. There were also some Shoveler, Lapwing, Oystercatchers, Teal and Canada Geese seen through through the viewing windows.

It was now time for the return journey to the car park and on the way back we met a broadly spoken fisherman who had just caught a young pike which was about two feet long. He had laid it out on the ground in his net and was removing the fishing hook which had lodged itself in its tail of all places.

A Covey of Red-legged Partridges - (c) Alan Flavell

Quite a long walk back through the houses and along the road was made more enjoyable by hearing and then seeing a group of House Sparrows in a garden bush and later five or six Red-legged Partridges running up towards the crest of a ploughed field.

We also had some futher views of the main lake where we saw a variety of Gulls, including Great Black-backed, Lesser Black-backed, Herring, Common, and Black-headed varieties with plenty of immature or juvenile birds about. We also got a better view of Laura's Great Crested Stick, which was sticking out of the water near to the bank.

As we approached the Visitor Centre a walkway led to the east end of the lake where a large group of Mute Swans had amassed due to it being a popular feeding location. After a quick chat on the car park, we all agreed to call in at Lin Dike Hide which overlooks Spoonbill Flash at the eastern end of the Fairburn Ings reserve because we would be going past it on the way home.

Male Smew - (c) Alan Flavell

This proved to be a very wise move because we added four new species to our day list here: Little Egret, Wigeon, Ruddy Duck as well the elusive Male and Female Smew that has been reported here over the last week or so.  Martyn couldn't believe it when he first spotted it through his scope and tried his best to get Peter to confirm the sighting, which he did.  As they both hurried to get their scopes set up for others to have a look, the Smew slowly drifted behind some vegetation and sadly out of view.

Whilst doing this, Martyn then spotted the Ruddy Duck, which was a lot easier to see as it was staying in more or less the same place, in spite of it regularly disappearing through diving fairly often.  It was unfortunate that not everyone got to see the Smew, but at least they all had good views of the Ruddy Duck.

We had at total of 57 species for the day and this made the prospect of a tedious drive home through the motorway roadworks a little more palatable. And all the way home I kept thinking:

'Two Smew, Ruddy Duck too, Egret, Wigeon and Duck' (with thanks to Trumpton).

Aerial view of Fairburn Ings - (c) RSPB