Nouns denoting groups of animals

Speaking about animals, we normally group them into congregations: отара овец, стая птиц, табун лошадей, косяк рыб, пчелиный рой, свора собак. We have to use a precise word denoting a group of a particular species of animals.

Cattle are usually called ‘ herd’ [hɜːd]:

a herd of cows/ giraffes/ deer/ zebras/ hippopotami/ horses/ donkeys

‘H erd’ can also be used with those animals which live, hunt, graze together and roam together:

a herd of wolves/ elephants/ seals/ whales/ kangaroos – стадо/стая

Sometimes we can use ‘ drove’ [drəuv] denoting grazing cattle: a drove of сattle / pigs / donkeys - стадо

However, we can come across such phrases:

a drove of rabbits/ goats/ hares – группа кроликов/ коз/ зайцев

Wild animals are usually called ‘ band’ [bænd]:

a band of wolves/ gorillas / buffalo – стая, стадо, группа

Groups of wolves and dogs can be described as ‘ pack’ [pæk]:

a pack of wolves/dogs/ coyotes – свора

Hunters normally say ‘ leash’ [liːʃ] implying a pack of predators (foxes, wolves, dogs) consisting of three animals:

a leash of foxes/ wolves/ dogs

Monkeys in groups are a ‘ troop’ [truːp]

a troop of monkeys/ gorillas/ baboons – группа, стадо

‘Troop’ can unite other animals, birds or insects.

There are particular names for some groups of animals:

a parade of elephants – стадо

a pride of lions – прайд

a clowder of cats – стая

Speaking about birds in general, it’s better to use ‘ flock’ [flɔk] (стая):

a flock of birds/ geese/ seagulls - стая

However, ‘ flock’ can also denote a group of animals:

a flock of sheep/ goats / deer– отара

If you want to say about domestic birds, use ‘ brood’ [bruːd]

a brood of chicks – выводок цыплят

At the same time there are various means of conveying the meaning of ‘a group’ for different types of birds.

a host of sparrows

a parliament of owls (Owls are considered to be wise, so they are called ‘a parliament’.)

a sedge of cranes (Sedge is a kind of grass that grows in marshlands where cranes and herons live)

a convocation of eagles – стая орлов (Convocation is a large formal meeting. No wonder such a solemn words is employed for this species!)

a murder of crows/ magpies

a company of parrots

a flight of swallows

a stand of flamingoes

Let’s pass over to fish. They also have names for groups!

Fish usually gather into a ‘ school’ [skuːl] or a ‘ shoal’ [ʃəul]:

a school/shoal of tuna/ mackerel/ salmon/ herrings/ shark – стая/ косяк

a small group of big fish or marine animals is called a ‘ pod’ [pɔd]:

A pod of dolphins/ whales/ killer whales/ walrus/ seals

If we want to unite marine inhabitants living at the bottom we need the word a ‘ bed’:

a bed of mussels/ oysters/ clams/ snakes – колония/поселение

Flying insects make up a ‘ swarm’ [swɔːm]:

a swarm of mosquitoes/ bees/ flies/ gnats – рой

Such insects as ants live in colonies:

a colony of ants/ termites – колония

Moreover, the word ‘ colony’ ['kɔlənɪ] is used for groups of other animals living and breeding in one place.

a colony of cats/seals – выводок

a colony of mice / rats/ squirrels/ bats - гнездо

A group of insects and reptiles is called a ‘ nest’ [nest]:

a nest of hornets / ants/ bees/ caterpillars – гнездо

a nest of snakes/ turtles – гнездо

To denote a group of insects or animals which can cause damage the word ‘ horde’ [hɔːd]

a horde of rats/ gnats/ hamsters – рой/скопление/стая

You can find a more detailed list of group names in the table below.