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A Charm of Finches
Posted: Sat Feb 17, 2007 10:10 pm
by Finchlet
I found this on a website and thought it was interesting. A charm of finches! That is so adorable!
Here are all the "bird nouns of assemblage" from literature.
bouquet of pheasants
cast of hawks
charm of finches
clamor of rooks
commotion of coot
congregation of plover
exaltation of larks
fall of woodcock
gaggle of geese
murder of crows
murmuration of starlings
mustering of storks
ostentation of peacocks
paddling of ducks
parliament of owls
rafter of turkeys
siege of herons
spring of teal
stand of flamingos
tiding of magpies
troop of penguins
unkindness of ravens
watch of nightingales
Posted: Sun Feb 18, 2007 5:13 pm
by kenny
hi finchlet
there is also
A MURDER OF CROWS !
ken
Posted: Sun Feb 18, 2007 5:26 pm
by Finchlet
Yes, I wonder who came up with these names and the meaning behind them. Some of them are rather strange.
Posted: Sun Feb 18, 2007 5:34 pm
by tammieb
Too funny!
Posted: Mon Feb 19, 2007 1:18 pm
by vetbridge
kenny wrote:hi finchlet
there is also
A MURDER OF CROWS !
ken
The etymology of that phrase is actually interesting:
A 'murder' of crows is based on the persistent but fallacious folk tale that crows form tribunals to judge and punish the bad behavior of a member of the flock. If the verdict goes against the defendant, that bird is killed (murdered) by the flock. The basis in fact is probably that occasionally crows will kill a dying crow who doesn't belong in their territory or much more commonly feed on carcasses of dead crows. Also, both crows and ravens are associated with battlefields, medieval hospitals, execution sites and cemeteries (because they scavenged on human remains). In England, a tombstone is sometimes called a ravenstone.
Posted: Mon Feb 19, 2007 1:36 pm
by bluefinch
I have already observed a flock of about 20 crows all attacking a single crow in the field across form my grandparent’s house! They flew out of my sight then so I didn't see what happened to the poor bird that was being attacked.
Posted: Mon Feb 19, 2007 3:02 pm
by Finchlet
Wow, that is all very interesting! They certainly are sassy birds. On the other side of town, hundreds of them go to roost at night in the trees. If you watch the sky at dusk you can see them coming from all directions, heading for their chosen spot. You can also tell where not to park your car
I've seen them deliberately drop walnuts in the roadway and wait for cars to crush them open. But yeah, I've also seen them eating other dead birds.
Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2007 7:21 am
by kenny
crows are very inteligent,they can even learn to talk..the worst thing i have seen them do though is eat blackbird chicks out of a nest in my garden
ken