Collective Nouns for Animals

Animals have always fascinated us, not only for their beauty and behaviour, but also for the rich language we use to describe them. From a pride of lions roaming the savanna to a school of fish moving as one beneath the surface, collective nouns give colour and character to the natural world.

On safari, these names often become part of the fun. Guests smile when they hear that a group of zebras is called a dazzle or that wildebeest gather in a confusion. It adds personality to the experience and makes wildlife conversations in the vehicle and in the evenings at the safari lodge even more memorable.

This master list brings all of those terms together in one place, covering African animals and species from around the world, with the correct names for males, females, babies and groups. And for anyone who later chooses an African wildlife print for their home, knowing these little details only makes the image on the wall more enjoyable.

Collective nouns of African Animals

Animal	Male	Female	Baby	Collective Noun
Aardvark	Male	Female	Cub	Colony
Aardwolf	Male	Female	Pup	Pack
African Buffalo	Bull	Cow	Calf	Herd or Gang
African Civet	Male	Female	Kit	Clowder
African Clawed Frog	Male	Female	Tadpole	Army
African Elephant	Bull	Cow	Calf	Herd
African Fish Eagle	Tiercel	Hen	Chick	Convocation
African Grey Parrot	Cock	Hen	Chick	Pandemonium
African Penguin	Cock	Hen	Chick	Colony
African Wild Dog	Male	Female	Pup	Pack
Agama Lizard	Male	Female	Hatchling	Lounge
Banded Mongoose	Male	Female	Pup	Troop
Bat (African species)	Male	Female	Pup	Colony
Black Mamba	Male	Female	Hatchling	Den
Blesbok	Ram	Ewe	Lamb	Herd
Blue Wildebeest	Bull	Cow	Calf	Confusion
Bontebok	Ram	Ewe	Lamb	Herd
Bushbaby	Male	Female	Infant	Troop
Bushbuck	Buck	Doe	Calf	Herd
Caracal	Male	Female	Kitten	Clowder
Cheetah	Male	Female	Cub	Coalition
Chacma Baboon	Male	Female	Infant	Troop
Cobra (Egyptian)	Male	Female	Hatchling	Quiver
Crocodile (Nile)	Bull	Cow	Hatchling	Bask
Dik-dik	Buck	Doe	Fawn	Herd
Dung Beetle	Male	Female	Larva	Swarm
Duiker	Buck	Doe	Calf	Herd
Egyptian Goose	Gander	Goose	Gosling	Gaggle
Eland	Bull	Cow	Calf	Herd
Flamingo (Greater)	Male	Female	Chick	Flamboyance
Genet	Male	Female	Kit	Clowder
Gerenuk	Bull	Cow	Calf	Herd
Giraffe	Bull	Cow	Calf	Tower
Golden Orb Spider	Male	Female	Spiderling	Cluster
Gorilla	Male	Female	Infant	Troop
Hammerhead Shark	Male	Female	Pup	Shiver
Hippopotamus	Bull	Cow	Calf	Bloat
Honey Badger	Boar	Sow	Cub	Cete
Impala	Ram	Ewe	Lamb	Herd
Jackal	Male	Female	Pup	Pack
Kori Bustard	Male	Female	Chick	Flock
Kudu	Bull	Cow	Calf	Herd
Leopard	Male	Female	Cub	Leap
Lion	Lion	Lioness	Cub	Pride
Mamba (Green)	Male	Female	Hatchling	Den
Marabou Stork	Male	Female	Chick	Muster
Meerkat	Male	Female	Pup	Mob
Monitor Lizard	Male	Female	Hatchling	Lounge
Mongoose	Male	Female	Pup	Troop
Nile Perch	Male	Female	Fry	Shoal
Nile Tilapia	Male	Female	Fry	Shoal
Oryx (Gemsbok)	Bull	Cow	Calf	Herd
Ostrich	Cock	Hen	Chick	Flock
Owl	Male	Female	Owlett	Parliament
Pangolin	Male	Female	Pup	Passel
Puff Adder	Male	Female	Hatchling	Den
Reedbuck	Buck	Doe	Calf	Herd
Rhinoceros (Black)	Bull	Cow	Calf	Crash
Rhinoceros (White)	Bull	Cow	Calf	Crash
Sacred Ibis	Male	Female	Chick	Flock
Secretary Bird	Male	Female	Chick	Walk
Serval	Male	Female	Kitten	Clowder
Side-striped Jackal	Male	Female	Pup	Pack
Springbok	Ram	Ewe	Lamb	Herd
Steenbok	Buck	Doe	Fawn	Herd
Tilapia	Male	Female	Fry	Shoal
Topi	Bull	Cow	Calf	Herd
Vervet Monkey	Male	Female	Infant	Troop
Vulture	Male	Female	Chick	Wake
Warthog	Boar	Sow	Piglet	Sounder
Waterbuck	Bull	Cow	Calf	Herd
Whale Shark	Male	Female	Pup	School
Wildebeest	Bull	Cow	Calf	Confusion
Zebra	Stallion	Mare	Foal	Dazzle

Collective nouns of Other Animals

Animal	Male	Female	Baby	Collective Noun
Albatross	Male	Female	Chick	Colony
Alligator	Bull	Cow	Hatchling	Congregation
Alpaca	Macho	Hembra	Cria	Herd
Ant	Male	Queen	Larva	Colony
Bald Eagle	Tiercel	Hen	Eaglet	Convocation
Barracuda	Male	Female	Fry	Battery
Bear	Boar	Sow	Cub	Sloth
Beaver	Male	Female	Kit	Colony
Bee	Drone	Queen	Larva	Swarm
Bison	Bull	Cow	Calf	Herd
Butterfly	Male	Female	Caterpillar	Kaleidoscope
Camel	Bull	Cow	Calf	Caravan
Cat	Tom	Queen	Kitten	Clowder
Chicken	Rooster	Hen	Chick	Flock
Cobra	Male	Female	Hatchling	Quiver
Cod	Male	Female	Fry	Shoal
Coyote	Male	Female	Pup	Band
Crab	Male	Female	Zoea	Cast
Crow	Male	Female	Chick	Murder
Deer	Stag	Doe	Fawn	Herd
Dog	Dog	Bitch	Puppy	Pack
Dolphin	Bull	Cow	Calf	Pod
Duck	Drake	Duck	Duckling	Raft
Eagle	Tiercel	Hen	Eaglet	Convocation
Elk	Bull	Cow	Calf	Gang
Falcon	Tiercel	Hen	Chick	Cast
Fish	Male	Female	Fry	School or Shoal
Fox	Dog	Vixen	Kit	Skulk
Frog	Male	Female	Tadpole	Army
Goat	Buck	Doe	Kid	Trip
Goose	Gander	Goose	Gosling	Gaggle
Hedgehog	Boar	Sow	Hoglet	Array
Horse	Stallion	Mare	Foal	Herd
Jellyfish	Male	Female	Ephyra	Smack
Kangaroo	Buck	Doe	Joey	Mob
Koala	Buck	Doe	Joey	Colony
Lobster	Male	Female	Larva	Risk
Moose	Bull	Cow	Calf	Herd
Octopus	Male	Female	Larva	Consortium
Otter	Dog	Bitch	Pup	Raft
Owl	Male	Female	Owlet	Parliament
Panda	Male	Female	Cub	Embarrassment
Parrot	Cock	Hen	Chick	Pandemonium
Peacock	Peacock	Peahen	Peachick	Muster
Penguin	Cock	Hen	Chick	Colony
Pig	Boar	Sow	Piglet	Sounder
Polar Bear	Boar	Sow	Cub	Celebration
Rabbit	Buck	Doe	Kit	Colony
Raccoon	Boar	Sow	Kit	Gaze
Rat	Buck	Doe	Pup	Mischief
Raven	Male	Female	Chick	Unkindness
Salmon	Male	Female	Fry	Run
Seal	Bull	Cow	Pup	Pod
Shark	Male	Female	Pup	Shiver
Sheep	Ram	Ewe	Lamb	Flock
Snake	Male	Female	Hatchling	Den
Sparrow	Male	Female	Chick	Host
Starling	Male	Female	Chick	Murmuration
Swan	Cob	Pen	Cygnet	Bevy
Tiger	Tiger	Tigress	Cub	Streak
Turkey	Tom	Hen	Poult	Rafter
Turtle	Male	Female	Hatchling	Bale
Walrus	Bull	Cow	Calf	Herd
Whale	Bull	Cow	Calf	Pod
Wolf	Male	Female	Pup	Pack
Woodpecker	Male	Female	Chick	Descent
Yak	Bull	Cow	Calf	Herd