WHAT’S IN A NAME?
An unkindness of ravens
THE TERM ‘AN UNKINDNESS OF RAVENS’ most likely comes from a false 19th-century theory that ravens were uncaring parents, prematurely expelling their young from their nests. Their association with bad luck, Halloween and death stems from their jet-black colour, ever-watchful eyes and scavenging around dead things. Their other collective nouns include ‘rave’, ‘treachery’ and ‘conspiracy’.