On and On and On

Taken from a post on the www:

One of the craziest oddities of the English language is that there are so many different collective nouns that all mean "group" but which are specific to what particular thing there is a group of:

A crowd of people or a deck of cards, etc.
There is great diversity of collective nouns associated with animals. Many are as creative and literary as odes to a true love:
a sleuth of bears to a murder of crows.
The following is a list of the correct terms to describe groups of various types of animals. We wonder: who created these names and when and why? Gamekeepers in the olden days is my guess.

*BUT, WHAT IS A GROUP OF RAVENS?!

a herd of antelope

an army of ants

colony of ants

swarm of ants

shrewdness of apes

flange of baboons

congress of baboons

tribe of baboons

culture of bacteria

cete of badgers

colony of badgers

sleuth of bears

sloth of bears

pack of bears (polar bears)

colony of beavers

bevy
of
doves
cote
of
doves
dole
of
doves
dule
of
doves
flight
of
doves
piteousness
of
doves
flight
of
dragons
weyr
of
dragons
wing
of
dragons
brace
of
ducks
flock
of
ducks
flush
of
ducks
paddling
of
ducks
raft
of
ducks
team
of
ducks

*BUT WHAT IS A GROUP OF RAVENS?

aerie
of
eagles
convocation
of
eagles
swarm
of
eels
herd
of
elephants
memory
of
elephants
parade
of
elephants
gang
of
elk
herd
of
elk
mob
of
emus
business
of
ferrets
cast
of
ferrets
fesnying
of
ferrets
charm
of
finches
catch
of
fish
haul
of
fish
run
of
fish
school
of
fish
shoal
of
fish
*BUT WHAT IS A GROUP OF RAVENS?
swarm
of
flies
lead
of
foxes
leash
of
foxes
skulk
of
foxes
army
of
frogs
colony
of
frogs
knot
of
frogs
flock
of
geese
gaggle
of
geese
skein
of
geese (in flight)
wedge
of
geese (flying in a 'V')
horde
of
gerbils
corps
of
giraffes
herd
of
giraffes
tower
of
giraffes

* BUT WHAT IS A GROUP OF RAVENS?

cloud
of
gnats
horde
of
gnats
swarm
of
gnats
herd
of
gnus
implausibility
of
gnus
drove
of
goats
herd
of
goats
tribe
of
goats
trip
of
goats
charm
of
goldfinches
glint
of
goldfish
band
of
gorillas
skein
of
goslings
leash
of
greyhounds
covey
of
grouse
pack
of
grouse
colony
of
gulls
group
of
guinea pigs


* BUT WHAT IS A GROUP OF RAVENS?


horde
of
hamsters
drove
of
hares
down
of
hares
husk
of
hares
leash
of
hares
trace
of
hares
trip
of
hares
warren
of
hares
aerie
of
hawks
cast
of
hawks
kettle
of
hawks
array
of
hedgehogs
prickle
of
hedgehogs
brood
of
hens
hedge
of
herons
sedge
of
herons
siege
of
herons

* BUT WHAT IS A GROUP OF RAVENS?

shoal
of
herrings
crash
of
hippopotami
herd
of
hippopotami
bloat
of
hippopotami

drift
of
hogs
parcel
of
hogs
passel
of
hogs
nest
of
hornets
harras
of
horses
herd
of
horses
stable
of
horses
team
of
horses
troop
of
horses
Collective Name
Animal
cry
of
hounds
mute
of
hounds
pack
of
hounds
charm
of
hummingbirds
clan
of
hyenas

*BUT WHAT IS A GROUP OF RAVENS?

band
of
jays
party
of
jays
scold
of
jays
smack
of
jellyfish
herd
of
kangaroos
mob
of
kangaroos
troop
of
kangaroos
deceit
of
lapwings
ascension
of
larks
exaltation
of
larks
leap
of
leopards
leep
of
leopards
lepe
of
leopards
pride
of
lions
sault
of
lions
sowse
of
lions
troop
of
lions
lounge
of
lizards
herd
of
llamas
plague
of
locusts
tidings
of
magpies
sord
of
mallards
stud
of
mares
richness
of
martens
horde
of
mice
mischief
of
mice
nest
of
mice
company
of
moles
labor
of
moles
movement
of
moles
cartload
of
monkeys
tribe
of
monkeys
troop
of
monkeys
troup
of
monkeys
herd
of
moose
barren
of
mules
pack
of
mules
rake
of
mules
span
of
mules

* BUT WHAT IS A GROUP OF RAVENS?

watch
of
nightingales
bevy
of
otter
family
of
otter
raft
of
otter
romp
of
otter
parliament
of
owls
congregation
of
plovers
wing
of
plovers
chine
of
polecats
string
of
ponies
pod
of
porpoises
school
of
porpoises
passel
of
possum
coterie
of
prairie dogs

*BUT WHAT IS A GROUP OF RAVENS?!

bevy
of
quail
covey
of
quail
bury
of
rabbits
wrack
of
rabbits (young)

*WHAT IS A GROUP OF RAVENS?!

gaze
of
raccoons
nursery
of
raccoons
colony
of
rats
horde
of
rats
mischief
of
rats
pack
of
rats
plague
of
rats
swarm
of
rats
rhumba
of
rattlesnakes

FINALLY!
* a storytelling of ravens,
* an unkindness of ravens,
This is absolutely crazy!
but see what's next:

crash
of
rhinoceri
building
of
rooks
clamor
of
rooks
storytelling
of
rooks
run
of
salmon
school
of
salmon
shoal
of
salmon
bob
of
seals

plump
of
wildfowl