If you've ever spotted a bunch of crows flying or gathering in your yard, you might wonder: What is a group of crows called? The answer is surprisingly poetic and a bit eerie: It's called a murder.
This unusual collective noun isn't just for flair. It comes from a long tradition of assigning colorful names to groups of animals, many of which date back to the Late Middle Ages.
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The term "murder of crows" likely has its origins in folklore and literature. Crows have long been associated with death, battlefields and the supernatural. Their black feathers, harsh calls and intelligence made them both respected and feared.
In folklore, crows were even said to hold courts to judge wrongdoers, and their presence was seen as an omen of death.
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Calling a group of crows a murder plays into that lore, though it's more poetic than scientific. You might also hear less dramatic terms like "flock" or "mob" used, especially in ornithology or bird-watching circles.
In daily life, most people say "a group of crows" or "a flock of birds." Scientists and birders often avoid poetic terms for clarity.
But collective nouns like murder, mob or conspiracy still pop up in books, museums, and bird-related content.
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If you hear a commotion of crows outside your house in the morning, it might sound like chaos, and you can feel thematically cool by saying it's a murder.
English has dozens of strange and wonderful words to describe groups of animals:
Many of these terms were published in hunting guides or social manuals as a form of aristocratic wordplay. Few people use them today outside trivia nights, but they remain a fascinating bit of language history.
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We created this article in conjunction with AI technology, then made sure it was fact-checked and edited by a HowStuffWorks editor.
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