This is bird note.

One crow is just a crow.

Two make a pair.

Two make a pair. Three might be a crowd, but a group of crows is called a murder.

A fitting name for this bunch of rascals. How did such a name come about?

According to James Lipton, author of an exultation of larks.

These names, called collective nouns, have been around for hundreds of years.

Others believe that the Victorians invented many of these names as a fanciful parlor game.

Collective nouns are a mixture of poetry, alliteration, and description.

These labels are not used by ornithologists, but they add a bit of fun to the study of birds, don't you think?

If you've ever watched a parade of swans on a lake, you can see why it's called a wedge of swans.

Bold rockous jays make up a party of jays.

Many names bring an image of the birds instantly to mind.

A stare of owls, a company of parrots, a spring of teal.

Now here's one that might be misnamed. Do you think all this noise should be called a

murmuration of starlings? So what would a group of bird note listeners be?

Hmm.

For Bird Note, I'm Michael Stein. cycle style.