Long before crime shows made the word famous, the term “murder of crows” was coined by poets and storytellers who loved dramatic flair. In medieval England, writers created imaginative names for animal groups — not for science, but for style. So while geese got a “gaggle” and lions a “pride,” crows, known for hovering near battlefields and graveyards, earned a title as dark as their feathers.
People once believed these birds brought bad omens, feeding on the fallen after wars. The phrase stuck, not because crows are violent, but because their intelligence and eerie teamwork fascinated humans. In truth, a flock of crows is clever, social, and surprisingly kind within its group — far from murderous, but certainly memorable.