Poem: Birds of a Feather

BIRDS OF A FEATHER

If birds of a feather flock together
Then it would be helpful to know whether
A proper ID is the key
To understanding group identity
Though scientists who watch the birds
Would seldom these days use these words
In days of old it used to be
A certain level of specificity
Was needed to find the proper word
To describe something more than just one bird
So when you see a flock and start to wonder
Here are a few thoughts for you to ponder:

Would you be a very silly goose
If you weren't part of the gaggle?
And to meet up with a siege of herons
You wouldn't want to straggle.

Would you be up with a charm of finches,
Or be down with a brood of hens?
And if larks were in the picture
You'd see an exaltation through the lens.

If it's a big muster of peacocks
Or a small bevy of quail,
The covey of the partridges
Or a watch of nightingale -

You might call a flock a company,
A parliament or colony,
And it may depend on where they're found
Either in the sky or on the ground.
But how you pick or use the words
May help you understand the birds
And though they know not of the terms
Even early ones who catch the worms
May be this way in any weather
When birds of a feather
Flock together