2943: Murder of Crows Jan 11, 2025

The names for specific groups of animals, like a pod of whales or a congress of owls are known as terms of venery, which originated from hunting traditions in the Middle Ages. Nowadays, however, any online search for “name for group of …” will yield wild results including “a shrewdness of apes”, a “conspiracy of lemurs” and “mob of kangaroos”, many of which have no traditional roots, and would not have even been known to English speakers until quite recently, as in the latter two [names according to Business Insider].

A “murder of crows” sounds like it would fit this bill as a pretty silly name, but it’s actually been attested since the late 15th century. It’s not clear as to why, but it’s either from the myth that crows cluster around one who is about to pass away, or that they scavenge for food as part of their diet. Of course, it would be just as acceptable to use the generic, ‘flock’.