Parliament
collective noun /ˈpɑːləmənt/ — What you call a group of owls — and it couldn't be more fitting.
Definition
The collective noun for a group of owls. Owls are largely solitary but the term reflects their ancient association with wisdom, deliberation, and nocturnal authority.
Beyond the definition
Owls have been symbols of wisdom since ancient Greece — Athena's emblem was an owl. Calling their gathering a parliament captures something essential: the idea that wisdom, when it assembles, looks like careful deliberation in the dark.
Origin & history
From Old French parlement — a speaking, a discussion (parler 'to speak'). The first English Parliament emerged in the 13th century. The collective noun appears in medieval bestiaries that matched animal groups to human institutions.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
A parliament of owls occupied the old barn, silent judges of the night.
He stood still, aware that a parliament of owls was watching from the oaks above.
The naturalist documented the parliament — seven barn owls sharing a single ruin.
Synonyms
group, flock, assembly, congress
Related words
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Word in focus
A parliament of owls
Three young owls perched close together in a tree.
Here, “parliament” names the whole gathering. Notice the animals together rather than looking for one individual with that name. The photograph illustrates the group; it is not evidence that this particular scene inspired the expression.
Image credit: Apu Jaman · CC BY-SA 4.0 (license)
Resized and converted to WebP; displayed with a fitted crop.