Collective nouns quiz

AnimalsBirds

28 Jun

Sometimes a herd is just a herd…

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.)

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

Troop or flange of baboons
Herd, troop, gang or obstinacy of buffalos
Coalition of cheetahs
Bask (on land) or float (in water) of crocodiles
Convocation or aerie of eagles
Stand, colony, pat or flamboyance of flamingos
Leash, skulk, earth, lead or troop of foxes
Gaggle of geese
a. Journey, b. Tower of giraffes
Band or troop of gorillas
Confusion of guineafowl
Sedge, siege or hedge of herons
Bloat of hippopotamuses
Cackle or clan of hyenas
Mess of iguanas
a. Bachelor herd, b. harem of impalas
Skulk of jackals
Exaltation or ascension of larks
Leap of leopards
Pride, sault or troop of lions
Lounge of lizards
business of mongooses (NOT ‘mongeese’!)
Troop, barrel, carload, cartload or tribe of monkeys
Pride of ostriches
Romp of otters
Parliament or stare of owls
Fling of oxpeckers
Pod of pelicans
Crash or stubbornness of rhinoceroses
Den, nest, pit, bed or knot of snakes
Cluster or clutter of spiders
Mustering or muster of storks
Creep of tortoises
a. Venue, b. kettle (or wake) of vultures
Pack of wild dogs/painted wolves
Confusion of wildebeests
Descent of woodpeckers
Crossing, cohort, herd, dazzle or zeal of zebras

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Nick Dale

I read English at Oxford before beginning a career as a strategy consultant in London. After a spell as Project Manager, I left to set up various businesses, including raising $5m in funding as Development Director for www.military.com in San Francisco, building a £1m property portfolio in Notting Hill and the Alps and financing the first two albums by Eden James, an Australian singer-songwriter who has now won record deals with Sony and EMI and reached number one in Greece with his first single Cherub Feathers. In 1998, I had lunch with a friend of mine who had an apartment in the Alps and ended up renting the place for the whole season. That was probably the only real decision I’ve ever made in my life! After ‘retiring’ at the age of 29, I spent seven years skiing and playing golf in France, Belgium, America and Australia before returning to London to settle down and start a family. That hasn’t happened yet, but I’ve now decided to focus on ‘quality of life’. That means trying to maximise my enjoyment rather than my salary. As I love teaching, I spend a few hours a week as a private tutor in south-west London and on assignment in places as far afield as Hong Kong and Bodrum. In my spare time, I enjoy playing tennis, writing, acting, photography, dancing, skiing and coaching golf. I still have all the same problems as everyone else, but at least I never get up in the morning wishing I didn’t have to go to work!

http://www.nickdalephotography.com

Collective nouns quiz

Answers

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