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Collective nouns quiz

Sometimes a herd is just a herd…

A herd of elephants

I know this doesn’t have much to do with photography, but I thought I’d do a quiz on collective nouns for the animals I’ve seen around the world.

It’s fun to find out the proper names (particularly for safari animals), and it can be a good way of passing the time on a game drive while you’re waiting for a couple of lions to wake up…!

Have a look at the pictures below. What’s the collective noun for each animal shown?

(Answers can be found at the end of the article.)

1. Baboon

1. Baboon

2. Buffalo

2. Buffalo

3. Cheetah

3. Cheetah

4. Crocodile

4. Crocodile

5. Eagle

5. Eagle

6. Flamingo

6. Flamingo

7. Fox

8. Goose

8. Goose

9. Giraffe (a. moving, b. stationary)

9. Giraffe (a. moving, b. stationary)

10. Gorilla

10. Gorilla

11. Guineafowl

12. Heron

12. Heron

13. Hippopotamus

13. Hippopotamus

14. Hyena

14. Hyena

15. Iguana

15. Iguana

16. Impala (a. males, b. females)

16. Impala (a. males, b. females)

17. Jackal

17. Jackal

18. Lark

19. Leopard

19. Leopard

20. Lion

20. Lion

21. Lizard

22. Mongoose

23. Monkey

23. Monkey

24. Ostrich

24. Ostrich

25. Otter

25. Otter

26. Owl

26. Owl

27. Oxpecker

28. Pelican

29. Rhinoceros

30. Snake

31. Spider

32. Stork

33. Tortoise

33. Tortoise

34. Vulture (a. perched, b. circling)

35. Wild dog

36. Wildebeest

36. Wildebeest

37. Woodpecker

38. Zebra

38. Zebra

How did you do? Anything over 30 and you must be an experienced safari-goer (and great at pub quizzes!). Anything less than 10 and you might need to brush up on your trivia…

Answers

  1. Troop or flange of baboons

  2. Herd, troop, gang or obstinacy of buffalos

  3. Coalition of cheetahs

  4. Bask (on land) or float (in water) of crocodiles

  5. Convocation or aerie of eagles

  6. Stand, colony, pat or flamboyance of flamingos

  7. Leash, skulk, earth, lead or troop of foxes

  8. Gaggle of geese

  9. a. Journey, b. Tower of giraffes

  10. Band or troop of gorillas

  11. Confusion of guineafowl

  12. Sedge, siege or hedge of herons

  13. Bloat of hippopotamuses

  14. Cackle or clan of hyenas

  15. Mess of iguanas

  16. a. Bachelor herd, b. harem of impalas

  17. Skulk of jackals

  18. Exaltation or ascension of larks

  19. Leap of leopards

  20. Pride, sault or troop of lions

  21. Lounge of lizards

  22. business of mongooses (NOT ‘mongeese’!)

  23. Troop, barrel, carload, cartload or tribe of monkeys

  24. Pride of ostriches

  25. Romp of otters

  26. Parliament or stare of owls

  27. Fling of oxpeckers

  28. Pod of pelicans

  29. Crash or stubbornness of rhinoceroses

  30. Den, nest, pit, bed or knot of snakes

  31. Cluster or clutter of spiders

  32. Mustering or muster of storks

  33. Creep of tortoises

  34. a. Venue, b. kettle (or wake) of vultures

  35. Pack of wild dogs/painted wolves

  36. Confusion of wildebeests

  37. Descent of woodpeckers

  38. Crossing, cohort, herd, dazzle or zeal of zebras

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