IN GOOD COMPANY

BY MEGAN WHITE

BIRDS OF A FEATHER MAY FLOCK TOGETHER, but what about other collectives of critters—and what do you call them when they do? It turns out that even when their groupings have a name, it’s not necessarily scientifically backed. “We don’t wind up using these terms in any kind of serious discussion, but they’re entertaining to bring up in casual conversation,” Birds and Blooms bird expert Kenn Kaufman says of these “terms of venery” that originated in hunting. “They could have been useful to members of the nobility going out hunting in the Middle Ages in Europe, hoping to bag a brace of ducks,” says Kenn. Furthermore, although some are aptly named, such as the more commonly known “murder of crows,” some creatures with collective terms don’t congregate in groups. As…

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Birds & Blooms (Digital) - 1 Issue, October/November 2024

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