Animal Terminology(7-Aug-2004)

Ever wonder what to call a group of several budgerigars? That is called a chatter of budgerigars. Oh, you don't know what a budgerigar is? That is a small Australian parrot (Melopsittacus undulatus) usually light green with black and yellow markings in the wild, but bred under domestication in many colors (ref. Webster's Dictionary). I am sure that you will find a few gems in the following list.

Due to the large amount of data we recommend that you use landscape format to print this webpage.

Note that some of the terminology might be regional.

animal	male	female	young	collective	sound
Alpaca	macho, wether(neut)	hombre	cria, tui
Ant	male ant	queen, worker(nr)	larva, antling	colony, swarm, army, nest, state
Antelope	ram	ewe	calf, fawn, kid, yearling	herd
Ape				shrewdness	gibber
Ass, burro, donkey	jack, jackass, gelding(neut), john(neut), ass(neut)	jenny, jennet	foal	herd, pace, drove	bray
Bacteria				culture
Badger	boar	sow	kit, cub	cete
Bass				shoal
Bat	male	female	pup	colony
Bear	boar, he-bear	sow, she-bear	cub	sleuth, sloth
Beaver	boar	sow	kit, kitten	colony, family
Bee	drone	queen, queen bee, worker(nr)	larva	swarm, grist, hive, cluster, nest, erst
Beetle					drone
animal	male	female	young	collective	sound
Bird (general)			fledgling, nestling	flock, congregation, flight, dissimulation, volary(?), volery(?)	sing
Bittern				siege
Blackbird					whistle
Buffalo	bull	cow	calf, yearling, spike-bull	herd, troop, gang
Butterfly	male	female	larva, caterpillar	flutter, swarm, army (of caterpillar)
Camel	bull	cow	calf, colt	flock, train, caravan
Caribou	bull, stag, hart	cow, doe	calf, fawn	herd
Cat	tom, tomcat, boarcat, ramcat, gib(neut) , gibcat(neut)	queen, tabby, grmalkin, malkin, pussy	pussy, kit, kitten, catling, kitling, kitty,	clowder or clutter (of cats), kindle or kendle (of kittens)	meow, mew, purr, caterwal, swear
Cattle	bull, steer(neut), ox(neut), stag(neut), bullock(Eng,neut)	cow (>2yrs, had calf), heifer (<2yrs)	calf, stot, yearling, bullcalf, heifer	herd, drove, kine	bellow (bull), moo, low, bawl (cow), bleat, bawl (calf)
animal	male	female	young	collective	sound
Chicken	rooster, cock, stag, chanticleer, capon (neut.)	hen, partlet, biddy	chick (very young), broiler (ready for market), chicken, poult, cockerel(m), pullet(f), pollute(Eng,f)	brood, peep, flock, run, clutch, chattering	crow (cock), peep, cackle
Clam				bed
Cobra				quiver
Codfish			codling, sprat
Coot				cover, covert
Coyote	dog	bitch	pup, whelp	pack, band
Crane				herd, sedge, siege
Crocodile				float
Crow	cock	hen	chick	murder, horde	caw
Cuckoo					cuckoo
Curlew				herd
Deer	buck, stag(Eng/neut), cactus buck(neut)	doe, hind(Eng)	fawn, yearling	herd, leash	bell
animal	male	female	young	collective	sound
Dog, hound	sire, stud	bitch	pup, puppy, whelp	pack (of dogs), cry, mute (of hounds), leash (of greyhounds)	bark, basy, howl, yelp, snarl, woof, arf
Dolphin				pod	click
Dove				flight, dule, pitying (of turtledoves)	coo, moan
Duck	drake, stag, capon(neut)	duck, hen	duckling, cockerel, flapper	flock, brace, team, paddling, raft, bed, flight	quack
Eagle	male	female	eaglet, fledgling	convocation	scream
Eel			elver
Elephant	bull	cow	calf	herd	trumpet
Elephant seal			weaner	pod
Elk	bull	cow	calf	herd, gang
Emu				mob
Falcon				cast	chant
Ferret	buck, hob, dog	bitch, jill, doe	kit	business, fesnyng(?)
animal	male	female	young	collective	sound
Finch				charm
Fish (general)			fry	school, shoal, run, haul, catch, drought, draught
Flamingo				stand
Fly				swarm	buzz
Fox	fox, dog	vixen	cub, pub, kit	skulk, leash, family, cloud, troop	bark, yelp
Frog			polliwog, tadpole	army, colony	croak
Giraffe	bull	cow	calf	herd, corps, troop	bleat, grunt
Gnat				swarm, cloud, horde
Goat	ram, billy, wether(neut), wither(Eng), buck, billie, billy-goat, he-goat	doe, nanny, she-goat, nannie, nanny goat	kid	tribe, trip, flock, herd
Goose	gander, stag	goose, dame	gosling, goruse, cheeper, cockerel(m)	gaggle, flock, skein (in flight), plump (on water)	cackle, hiss, honk
Gorilla				band
animal	male	female	young	collective	sound
Grasshopper					chirp, pitter
Grouse			cheeper		drum
Guinea Fowl	cock, capon(neut)	hen	keet, cockerel(m)	flock	cry
Guinea Pig, cavy	boar	sow		herd	squeak, whistle
Gull					squawk
Hare				down, husk	squeak
Hawk	tiercel	hen	eyas	cast, kettle	scram
Heron				hedge, siege, sedge
Hippopotamus			calf		bray, snort
Horse	stallion, stud, gilding (neut), stag, horse, stud	mare (>2yrs), dam	foal, yearling, colt(m), stot, stag, filly (<2yrs,f), hog-colt, hogget	horras(?), harras(?), haras(?), stable, remuda, herd, string, field, set, pair, team, string (of ponies)	neigh, whinny
Human	male	female	child	population, nation, group, couple, pair	unlimited vocabulary
Hummingbird				charm
animal	male	female	young	collective	sound
Hyena					laugh
Jackrabbit	buck	doe	bunny	husk, dray
Jay				party	chatter
Jellyfish				smack
Kangaroo	buck, boomer	doe	joey	mob, troop, herd
Lapwing				desert
Lark				exaltation, ascension
Leopard	leopard	leopardess	cub	leap, leep
Lion	lion, tom	lioness, she-lion	cub, whelp, lionet	pride, troop, flock, sawt, souse	roar, growl
Llama	gelding(neut)		cria
Locust				plague
Lobster		hen
Loon					howl
Mackerel			blinker, tinker, spike
Magpie				tiding	chatter
Mallard				sord
Marten				richness
animal	male	female	young	collective	sound
Mink	buck, hob, dog	bitch, jill, doe
Mole				labor
Monkey				troup	chatter, gibber
Moose	bull	cow	calf	herd
Mouse					squeak, squeal
Mule	jack, ass(neut)	jennet, jenny		brace, barren, span
Nightingale				watch	pipe, warble, jug-jug
Otter	buck, hog, dog	bitch, jill, doe
Owl			owlet	parliament	hoot, screech, wail
Oxen				herd, yoke, team, drove	low, bellow
Oyster				bed
Parrot				company	talk
Partridge	cock	hen	cheeper	covey
Peafowl	peacock	peahen		ostentation, muster	scream
animal	male	female	young	collective	sound
Penguin			baby		bleat (baby)
Peregrine Falcon	tiercel	falcon
Pheasant				nide, nye, bouquet, nest
Pigeon			squab, squeaker	flock, flight	coo
Plover				congregation
Pronghorn	buck	doe	fawn	herd
Quail	cock	hen	cheeper, chick, squealer	covey, bevy
Racoon					chatter
Rabbit			bunny, kit, kitten	herd, nest (of bunnies)
Rat			pup	pack, swarm
Rattlesnake				rhumba
Raven				conspiracy, unkindness(?)	croak
Reindeer	buck	doe	fawn	herd
Rhinocerus			calf	crash	snort, grunt, growl, whistle
animal	male	female	young	collective	sound
Salmon			parr, smolt, grilse
Sandpiper					pipe, whistle
Seal, sealion	bull	cow	signet, whelp, pup, cub, bachelor	herd, pod, trip, rookery, harem
Sheep	ram, wether(neut), buck, male sheep, mutton	ewe, dam	lamb, lambkin, shearling, yearling, cosset, hog	flock, drove, hirsel, trip, pack	baa, bleat
Snake	male	female	snakelet	nest, pit	hiss
Snipe				walk, wisp
Squirrel	buck	doe	pup, kitten	dray
Sparrow				host	chirp
Starling				murmuration
Stork				mustering
Swallow				flight	titter
Swan	cob	pen	cygnet	ballet, herd, bevy, lamentation, wedge, team, bank	crey, hiss, grunt, bark
animal	male	female	young	collective	sound
Swine, pig	boar, barrow(neut), stag(neut)	sow	pig, piglet, suckling, shoat(m), gilt(f), trotter, farrow	sounder, sty, drift, herd, passel, parcel, trip (litter of pigs)	grunt, squeak, squeal
Teal				spring
Termite	king	queen	nymph	colony, nest, swarm, brood
Thrushes					whistle
Toad	male	female	tadpole	knot
Tiger					growl, roar
Tortoise					grunt
Trout				hover
(Wild) Turkey	tom, gobbler, stag, capon(neut)	hen	hatchling, keet, poult, cockerel	rafter, raft	gobble
Turtle				bale
Walrus	bull	cow	cub	pod, herd
Whale	bull	cow	calf	school, gam, pod, herd
Wigeon				company
Wild Fowl (general)			flapper
Wolf	dog	bitch	pup	pack, route, herd	howl
animal	male	female	young	collective	sound
Woodcock				fall
Woodpecker				descent
Zebra	stallion	mare	colt, foal	herd

Legend:

• (?) -- questionable
• (Eng) -- English (versus North American)
• (f) -- female
• (m) -- male
• (neut) -- neutered or castrated
• (nr) -- non-reproductive
• collective -- for example use as: "a herd of buffalos" or a "colony of ants"

Sources:

• The Old Farmers Almanac of 2003, by Robert B. Thomas
• Birds & Blooms magazine
• Webster's Dictionary (unabridged)
• Amazing Animals -- website not available anymore