What Is a Group of Doves Called? Depends if They're Flying

In the sky, a group of doves is called a flight. JOY 5 / Shutterstock

You’ve probably seen a group of birds take off in a sudden burst, but have you ever stopped to ask, what is a group of doves called?

In the animal kingdom, collective nouns can be poetic, descriptive, or outright mind-boggling. For doves, the answer is as gentle as the birds themselves.

A Bevy or a Cote of Doves

A group of doves is most commonly called a "bevy." When doves are kept in captivity, like in a dovecote, the group is also known as a "cote." Both terms capture the quiet elegance and social nature of these birds.

You might also hear the word "flight" when doves are seen flying together. Birds often have multiple group names depending on behavior or setting.

Where Do These Names Come From?

Collective nouns often date back to medieval hunting traditions. A "gaggle of geese" or a "murder of crows" might sound poetic, but they were used as practical identifiers centuries ago. These names carried over into modern English, especially for birds like doves, gulls, and hawks.

These quirky terms apply across dozens of bird species, from a "murmuration of starlings" to a "parliament of owls." That same creativity gave us a "bevy of doves" and a "rafter of turkeys."

Doves and Their Bird Relatives

Doves belong to the Columbidae family, which includes pigeons too. In fact, many people use the terms interchangeably. You’ll find related collective nouns in birds like:

A kit of pigeons
A covey of quail
A gaggle of geese (when on land)
A skein of geese (in flight)
A muster of peacocks

Turtle doves are especially noted in folklore and holidays. Remember the "two turtle doves" from the classic carol? Those birds also travel in bevies.

These collective nouns are largely used for fun, colorful descriptions of birds, rather than as technical terms in birdwatching or conservation. If you're observing guinea fowl, gulls, or guillemots, knowing the right term sharpens your observation skills.

Whether you're tracking sandpipers on the coast or pheasants in the field, understanding group names connects us to the diversity of bird life.

We created this article in conjunction with AI technology, then made sure it was fact-checked and edited by a HowStuffWorks editor.