List of collective nouns for fish, invertebrates, and plants
|
|
Also see Collective noun
The checkmarks, √, below signify a widespread usage in both North American English and British English.
| SUBJECT | COLLECTIVE TERM | STATUS |
| ants | A colony of ants | √ |
| ants | A swarm of ants | √ |
| ants | An army of ants | √ |
| bacteria | A culture of bacteria | √ |
| beans | A hill of beans | √ |
| bees | A grist of bees | √ |
| bees | A hive of bees | √ |
| bees | A swarm of bees | √ |
| blackfish | A grind of blackfish | Uncertain |
| butterflies | A kaleidoscope of butterflies | Uncertain |
| butterflies | A rabble of butterflies | Uncertain |
| butterflies | A rainbow of butterflies | √ |
| caterpillars | An army of caterpillars | √ |
| clams | A bed of clams | √ |
| cockroaches | An intrusion of cockroaches | Uncertain |
| cod | A lap of cod | Uncertain |
| eels | A fry of eels | Uncertain |
| eels | A swarm of eels | √ |
| figs | A newton of figs | Spurious |
| fish | A draught of fish | √ |
| fish | A drift of fish | √ |
| fish | A scale of fish | √ |
| fish | A school of fish | √ |
| fish | A shoal of fish | √ |
| flowers | A bouquet of flowers | √ |
| flowers | A patch of flowers | √ |
| flies | A business of flies | √ |
| flies | A swarm of flies | √ |
| gnats | A cloud of gnats | √ |
| gnats | A clout of gnats | Uncertain |
| gnats | A horde of gnats | √ |
| grapes | A bunch of grapes | √ |
| grasshoppers | A cloud of grasshoppers | √ |
| grasshoppers | A cluster of grasshoppers | √ |
| herrings | A glean of herrings | √ |
| jellyfish | A fluther of jellyfish | √ |
| jellyfish | A smack of jellyfish | √ |
| locusts | A plague of locusts | √ |
| midges | A bite of midges | Uncertain |
| mites | A mite of mites | Uncertain |
| mosquitoes | A scourge of mosquitoes | √ |
| oysters | A bed of oysters | √ |
| salmon | A bind of salmon | √ |
| salmon | A run of salmon | √ |
| shrimp | A troup of shrimp | √ |
| snail | A rout of snails | √ |
| spiders | A cluster of spiders | √ |
| spiders | A clutter of spiders | √ |
| trees | A grove of trees | √ |
| trees | A copse of trees | √ |
| trees | A stand of trees | √ |
| trees | A thicket of trees | √ |
| trout | A hover of trout | √ |
| worms | A clew of worms | Uncertain |