A committee of turkey vultures perches on trees above the Thompson River in Kamloops in September.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Valeria Walsh
October 08, 2025 - 4:00 AM
When wildlife gathers in groups, whether fish or fowl, there are collective nouns for those gatherings, and this past year photographers in Kamloops and the Okanagan have captured groups of animals with unusual ones.
A pack of dogs, a herd of horses or a colony of ants are more familiar names for groups, but some names like skulk of foxes, a mischief of mice or a charm of hummingbirds are perhaps less known.
The names for a species grouped together can change according to what activity is taking place. A group of turkey vultures in flight is called a kettle, a venue or a volt, according to Birdful. When the birds are on the ground or perched together in trees they are called a committee, and when they are feeding on a carcass, they are called a wake. Guild is used to describe a communal roosting flock of turkey vultures.
A convocation of bald eagles are spotted overlooking the Thompson River in Kamloops in spring.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Loekie Vanderwal
Groups of another big bird of prey, the eagle, are most commonly known as a soar when in flight, while a convocation is a general description for a large gathering of them.
Other interesting names for groups of birds include a murder of crows, a parliament of owls and a bevy of swans, according to Britannica.
There are numerous interesting names for mammals gathered together. Otters that are known as a romp when the group is playing together and a raft when the group is swimming. A few other common names for otter groups is family, bevy and lodge.
The river otters at Shuswap Lake are spotted on a summer afternoon.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Ann Steenhuysen
A group of raccoons is most commonly known as a gaze or a band, and a nursery if they are young. Other quirky names for mammal groups include a prickle of porcupines, a stench of skunks and a scurry of squirrels.
Raccoons play on the river in Kamloops in August.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Michael Kennedy
Unique names for groups of insects include butterflies that are known as kaleidoscopes or flutters when huddled together, and caterpillars that are called an army when found in a cluster.
Do you know of unique names for wildlife groups? Let us know at news@infonews.ca.
A kaleidoscope of checkerspot butterflies hover on damp soil in Merritt in August.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Loekie Vanderwal
This army of tent caterpillars was found on a prune tree in Oliver in spring.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Linda Anderson
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