Names for collective groups of animals are thought to date from The Book of Saint Alban’s, published in 1486 by Dame Juliana Berners where many of the collective nouns for were chosen simply for the humorous images they conjure up, or the alliteration.
Murder of crows, Murmuration of starlings, Kettle of hawks, Incontinence of yellowlegs
I saw a large Gulp of Double-crested Cormorants winging over Lake Ontario today:
Murder of Crows
Dole of Doves
Badling of Ducks
Charm of Finches
Skein of Geese
Gaggle of Geese
Screech or Colony of Gulls
Sedge of Herons
Unkindness of Ravens
Host of Sparrows
Spring of Teal
Venue of Vultures
Descent of Woodpeckers
NATURE POETRY
Since Poets have told of sunset,
What is left for me to tell?
I can only say that I saw the day
Press crimson lips to the horizon gray,
And kiss the earth farewell. – Effie Lee Newsome (1885–1979)
Miles Hearn