Animal Vocabulary

Below you'll find typical terms that we use to refer to some of the more common animals on Planet Earth. The "collective terms" describe groups of the animal and are also known as terms of venery. See also our Animal Terms (short list) - which has fewer animals and no collective terms.

animal plural male female young collective term
ant ants winged male, aner queen, worker antling a colony of ants, an army of ants
bat bats male female pup a cloud of bats, a colony of bats
bear bears boar sow cub a sleuth of bears, a sloth of bears
bee bees drone queen, worker larva, schadon, fry (plural noun) a hive of bees, a swarm of bees
bird birds cock hen nestling, fledgling a flock of birds, a flight of birds (in the air)
buffalo buffalo, buffalloes, buffaloes bull cow calf a herd of buffalo
cat cats tom queen kitten a clutter of cats
chicken chickens rooster hen chick a brood of chickens, a flock of chickens
cow cattle bull cow calf a herd of cattle
dog dogs dog bitch puppy, pup a pack of dogs
dolphin dolphins bull cow pup a school of dolphins
duck ducks drake duck duckling a raft of ducks
elephant elephants bull cow calf a herd of elephants
fish fish, fishes male female fry (plural noun) a school of fish
fox foxes dog, reynard vixen cub a troop of foxes, an earth of foxes
frog frogs male female tadpole, froglet an army of frogs, a colony of frogs
goose geese gander goose gosling a flock of geese, a gaggle of geese
goat goats billy (domestic), evec nanny kid a flock of goats, a herd of goats
horse horses stallion, colt (young) mare, filly (young) foal a herd of horses, a team of horses (in harness), a string of horses (for racing)
kangaroo kangaroos buck doe joey a mob of kangaroos, a troop of kangaroos
lion lions lion lioness cub a pride of lions
monkey monkeys male female infant a troop of monkeys
owl owls male female owlet a parliament of owls
ox oxen bull, steer (castrated) cow calf a herd of oxen, a drove of oxen (when driven in a group), a team of oxen (in harness)
penguin penguins male female chick a colony of penguins
person people man woman baby, infant a crowd of people
pig pigs boar sow suckling, piglet a herd of pigs, a flock of pigs
rabbit rabbits buck doe bunny, bunny rabbit a colony of rabbits, a nest of rabbits, a warren of rabbits (strictly, where they live)
sheep sheep ram ewe lamb a flock of sheep
tiger tigers tiger tigress cub, whelp a streak of tigers
whale whales bull cow calf a school of whales, a shoal of whales, a pod of whales (smaller groups)
wolf wolves dog bitch cub a pack of wolves, a herd of wolves
zebra zebra, zebras stallion mare foal a cohort of zebra, a herd of zebra
There are also fanciful or invented collective terms such as: an ambush of tigers, a wilderness of monkeys, a zeal of zebra. These are very rare.