The collective noun for a group of crows is a “murder of crows.” This evocative phrase belongs to a tradition of collective nouns, known as terms of venery, popularized in the late Middle Ages. Unlike scientific classifications, these names were often imaginative or based on perceived attributes of the animals they described. The peculiar name suggests a long-standing cultural association between the crow and dark omens.
What Defines a Murder of Crows
A “murder” is the traditional, non-scientific collective noun used to describe a gathering of crows. Ornithologists generally use the more straightforward term “flock” or “party.” The term is an example of a term of venery, a poetic collective noun. While any group of crows can be called a murder, the term best reflects the behavior of large, social groupings. Crows often congregate in great numbers at communal roosts or when attracted to a significant food source.
The Historical Origin of the Term
The name traces its roots back to 15th-century England, when elaborate lists of collective nouns were compiled. These terms of venery, which include phrases like a “parliament of owls,” were codified in texts such as The Book of Saint Albans (1486). The nobility used these fanciful names to demonstrate wit, often assigning names that anthropomorphized the animals.
The choice of “murder” was based on the bird’s grim reputation in medieval folklore, not scientific observation. With their black plumage and harsh calls, crows were strongly associated with death and foreboding in early European culture. As natural scavengers, they were frequently observed feeding on carrion at battlefields, execution sites, and cemeteries. This constant presence near death cemented their image as harbingers of disaster, making “murder” a poetically fitting label. A popular, though historically unverified, folktale suggests the name comes from the belief that crows would hold a “court” to judge and execute an errant member of their flock. This story illustrates the historical mindset that assigned moral characteristics to animals to justify the dramatic collective noun.
Crow Behavior That Inspired the Name
While the name is historical, certain observable crow behaviors reinforce the ominous description. Crows exhibit sophisticated group actions. One behavior is “mobbing,” where a group aggressively surrounds and harasses a larger predator, such as an owl or hawk, to drive it out of their territory. This loud, coordinated attack can appear menacing.
Another behavior that seems to validate the name is the phenomenon often termed “crow funerals.” When a crow discovers a dead member of its species, it emits loud alarm calls, causing others to gather around the deceased bird. This gathering is not mourning but an intelligent risk assessment. The crows study the scene to determine what killed their peer, learning to associate the location or a potential predator with danger. This gathering around a fallen comrade looks to human observers like a somber, coordinated inquest, fitting the dramatic imagery of a “murder.”