A Cornucopia of Collective Nouns of the Venery

[Posted by Chuck Almdale]

Collective nouns of the venery (“the hunt”) were created over many centuries, beginning in the 15th and continuing into the 21st century. These often used nouns are useful and fun to know. What birder hasn’t heard of “an exaltation of larks,” “a murder of crows” or “a parliament of owls.” They are obviously fun to invent as well, and “reams of paper” and “pots of ink” have been devoted to recording and keeping track of them.

The forty collective nouns listed below are for the express delectation of our birding friends. These are the ones you will most enjoy knowing and the one you are most likely to use. Have fun! Sprinkle them into your next birding conversation and watch the faces of your companions light up with delight!

They were selected from a longer list of 934 collective nouns pertaining only to birds, which itself is a portion of a longer list of 7,305 collective nouns in categories ranging from Abstract Nouns to Viruses.

Should you be so inclined to peruse this largest compendium, you will find it here:
https://sites.miamioh.edu/meyersde/the-collective-noun-catalog/

However, if you wish only for the collective nouns pertaining to birds, we extracted them at great labour from the longer list. There are two lists, both arranged as is the list below, and downloadable copies in Adobe PDF are available for both.

List 1: 288 collective nouns of the venery for the period 1400-1614 CE; a double list, alphabetical by bird and by noun, sources given at end.
List 2: 934 collective nouns of the venery for the period 1400-2018 CE, a double list, alphabetical by bird and by noun, sources given at end.

Following are two tables of our forty selections, the first arranged in alphabetical sequence by bird name, the second arranged alphabetically by the collective noun. Following these tables are the written sources from whence they came.

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Alphabetical	First Use
Sequence by Bird	Date	Source
A cegee of betterys	1400s	30
A dyssymylacyon of bryddys	1452	27
A pype of chekynnysse	1452	27
A courerete of cootys	1452	27
A fflyȝt of coṝmeravnttys	1400s	30
A mursher of crowys	1452	27
A badelynge of dokys	1496	03
A padelynge of dookysse	1452	27
A fflẏth of dowẏs	1400s	31
A jye of ffesauntȝ	1400s	26
A tremynge of goldefynchis	1400s	29
A chermyng of goldfȳchys	1400s	28
A fflyȝt of goshavkys	1400s	30
A gagulle of gyse	1400s	30
A brode of hennys	1496	03
A doppyng of herles	1400s	29
A sege of heyrōnys	1400s	28
An exsalttynge of larkys	1400s	30
A desyte of lepewẏkes	1400s	31
A fflusche of mallardys	1452	27
A waycche of nyghtynggalys	1452	27
A monstyr of pecockys	1452	27
A couy of pertrikkys	1400s	28
A congregacon of plouerys	1400s	30
A tygenes of pyes	1586	14
A bevee of quaylys	1400s	28
A vnkyndenesse of rauons	1400s	29
An onkyndenes of ravynnys	1400s	28
A byldynge of rookys	1400s	30
A walke of snyttys	1400s	30
A hoste of sparowẏs	1400s	31
An oste of sparrowys	1452	27
A mormeracyoii of staris	1400s	30
A chaterẏng of starẏs	1400s	31
A fflẏth of swaleus	1400s	31
A turbe of teles	1420	15
A mutacyon of threstyllys	1400s	30
A duell of turtylles	1496	03
A ffalle of woodeclckys	1452	27
A heerde of wrennys	1400s	29

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Alphabetical Sequence	First Use
By Collective Noun	Date	Source
A badelynge of dokys	1496	03
A bevee of quaylys	1400s	28
A brode of hennys	1496	03
A byldynge of rookys	1400s	30
A cegee of betterys	1400s	30
A chaterẏng of starẏs	1400s	31
A chermyng of goldfȳchys	1400s	28
A congregacon of plouerys	1400s	30
A courerete of cootys	1452	27
A couy of pertrikkys	1400s	28
A desyte of lepewẏkes	1400s	31
A doppyng of herles	1400s	29
A duell of turtylles	1496	03
A dyssymylacyon of bryddys	1452	27
An exsalttynge of larkys	1400s	30
A ffalle of woodeclckys	1452	27
A fflusche of mallardys	1452	27
A fflyȝt of goshavkys	1400s	30
A fflyȝt of coṝmeravnttys	1400s	30
A fflẏth of dowẏs	1400s	31
A fflẏth of swaleus	1400s	31
A gagulle of gyse	1400s	30
A heerde of wrennys	1400s	29
A hoste of sparowẏs	1400s	31
A jye of ffesauntȝ	1400s	26
A monstyr of pecockys	1452	27
A mormeracyoii of staris	1400s	30
A mursher of crowys	1452	27
A mutacyon of threstyllys	1400s	30
An onkyndenes of ravynnys	1400s	28
An oste of sparrowys	1452	27
A padelynge of dookysse	1452	27
A pype of chekynnysse	1452	27
A sege of heyrōnys	1400s	28
A tremynge of goldefynchis	1400s	29
A turbe of teles	1420	15
A tygenes of pyes	1586	14
A vnkyndenesse of rauons	1400s	29
A walke of snyttys	1400s	30
A waycche of nyghtynggalys	1452	27

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Sources

3. “The manere of hawkynge & huntynge: and also of diuysynge of Cote armours.” The Boke of Saint Albans. Wynkyn de Worde, 1496. Reproduced in Facsimile. 50-52.

14. Berners, Dame Juliana (attrib). Hawking, Hunting, and Fishing, with the True Measures of Blowing. Newly Corrected and Amended. 1586. Printed by Edward Allde.

15. Cambridge, Trinity College Library. Femina Manuscript. 1420. No. B.14. 40. Folio 88-89b.

26. London, British Museum. Addl. Manuscript 33,994. 15th Century. Folio 26b.

27. London, British Museum. Egerton Manuscript 1995. Circa 1452. Begins on folio 555.

28. London, British Museum. Harley Manuscript 2340. 15th Century. Begins on folio 51a.

29. London, British Museum. Harley Manuscript 541. 15th Century. Begins on folio 225a.

30. London, British Museum. Porkington Manuscript 10. Begins on Folio 184a.

31. London, British Museum. Robert of Gloucester Manuscript, College of Arms. 15th century.