You're standing at a farm fence. Or maybe you're deep in the Texas brush, heart hammering, looking at a dozen dark shapes rooting through the dirt. You want to describe what you're seeing to your buddy. Is it a pack? A herd? Honestly, most folks just default to "a bunch of pigs," and while that's not technically a crime, it misses the weird, rich history of the English language. If you've ever wondered what do you call a group of hogs, the answer actually depends on how old they are, where they are, and—believe it or not—whether they are currently being annoying.
Language is funny like that. We have specific words for groups of animals, known as "terms of venery," that date back to Middle English traditions. For hogs, the most common term you'll hear among farmers and hunters is a sounder. But don't go calling a group of domestic pink pigs in a pen a sounder unless you want to get some weird looks from the local 4-H club.
The Sounder: More Than Just a Cool Name
A sounder is the specific term for a group of wild hogs or feral pigs. This isn't just a random vocabulary word; it describes a very specific social unit. Usually, a sounder consists of a few sows (the moms) and their offspring. The boars? They’re mostly loners. They roam the outskirts like moody teenagers until it’s time to mate.
When you see twenty or thirty hogs tearing up a golf course or a cornfield on the news, that's a sounder in action. The term comes from the Old English sunder, which relates to the idea of a distinct group or a "sundering" from others. It’s a word that feels heavy. It feels wild. If you're talking about the invasive species wreaking havoc across the American South, "sounder" is the word that'll make you sound like you actually know your stuff.
Interestingly, the size of a sounder can vary wildly. In areas with high food density, you might see "super-sounders" where multiple family groups merge. It’s chaos. It’s loud. It’s a lot of bacon on the move. But there is a hierarchy. The oldest sow usually calls the shots, leading the group to water and bedding sites. If she dies, the whole group can fall into a sort of disorganized tactical retreat until a new matriarch takes over.
Domestic Life: Drifts, Droves, and Teams
Once you step inside the farm gate, the terminology shifts. Farmers aren't usually looking for "sounders" in the barn. If the hogs are young, you might call them a litter (if they are siblings) or a drift.
"Drift" is one of those words that feels poetic. It describes the way young pigs move—sort of aimlessly wandering and "drifting" from one spot to another. It’s less about a military-style unit and more about a slow, bumbling migration toward the nearest food trough.
Then you have a drove. This is an old-school term. You don't hear it much in the city, but if you're "driving" hogs to market, you've got yourself a drove. It implies movement. It implies a human is involved in the process, steering the group toward a destination.
Does Age Actually Matter?
It really does. If you’re looking at a group of hogs, you have to check the age and the "status" of the animals to be precise.
- A passel is a more colloquial, southern-fried term for a group of young pigs.
- A parcel is a term some older texts use, though it’s fallen out of favor.
- A team or a harras (though harras is more common for horses) can occasionally be used in very specific regional dialects, but stay away from those if you want to be understood by 99% of people.
Why the Vocabulary Is So Messy
English is a bit of a hoarder. When the Normans invaded England in 1066, they brought their own words for animals, often based on the hunt. The peasants—the ones actually doing the dirty work—kept their Germanic-rooted words. This is why we have "cow" (living) and "beef" (dead), and why the terms for groups of animals are so cluttered.
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When asking what do you call a group of hogs, you're really tapping into a tradition of "sporting terms" that were meant to distinguish the upper class from the lower class. If you knew the "proper" term for a group of boar, you were clearly a person of culture and breeding. If you just said "a lot of pigs," you were probably the one mucking out the stalls.
Today, we use these words less for social signaling and more for precision. Wildlife biologists use "sounder" because it describes the biological reality of a feral pig social structure. A "herd" is too generic. A "flock" is for birds. A "sounder" is uniquely, gruntingly pig-like.
The Behavior Behind the Names
Hogs are incredibly social. They aren't just standing around. They communicate with a range of grunts, squeals, and even barks. When you see a group of hogs, you’re looking at one of the most intelligent non-primate species on the planet.
Within a sounder, pigs sleep nose-to-nose. They have preferred "friends" within the group. Research from the University of Bristol has shown that pigs can be optimistic or pessimistic depending on their living conditions. This social complexity is why we have so many names for them. They aren't just a mass of meat; they are a functioning society.
Wild hogs, especially, are masters of tactical movement. If a sounder feels threatened, they don't just scatter like sheep. They often move in a synchronized burst. This is where the term "sounder" really earns its keep—it sounds like a singular unit because, in many ways, it behaves like one.
Common Misconceptions About Hogs
People often use "hog," "pig," and "boar" interchangeably. They shouldn't.
Basically, a pig is a younger, smaller animal (usually under 120 pounds). A hog is a larger, older animal. A boar is specifically an uncastrated male. When you ask about a group of hogs, you’re usually talking about the big guys.
You’ll also hear people call them a singleness of boars, which is actually a bit of an oxymoron. Since adult boars are mostly solitary, seeing a group of them together is rare enough that the "group" term describes their usual state of being alone. Language is weird, right?
The "Swine" Factor
Then there's the word swine. It’s used as both singular and plural. While technically correct, calling a group of hogs "a swine" sounds like you're quoting a King James Bible verse or a Shakespearean play. It’s grammatically fine, but socially stiff. Stick to "hogs" or "pigs" unless you’re writing a poem.
Dealing with a Group of Hogs in the Wild
If you encounter a sounder of feral hogs, the terminology is the last thing you should worry about. These animals can be dangerous. A full-grown hog can weigh 300 pounds and run at speeds up to 30 miles per hour. They have tusks that aren't just for show—they use them to defend the group.
- Give them space. A mother sow in a sounder is incredibly protective of her piglets.
- Don't corner them. Hogs aren't naturally aggressive toward humans unless they feel trapped or their young are at risk.
- Find an elevation. If a group charges, get up a tree or on a vehicle. They aren't great climbers.
Farmers deal with hogs differently. They use the social nature of the "drift" to move them. Pigs have a natural instinct to follow the tail in front of them. If you can get the leader of the group moving, the rest will usually follow. This is why "driving a drove" works.
Summary of Terms to Use
If you want to be accurate next time the subject comes up, keep this mental checklist:
- Sounder: Use this for wild or feral hogs. It's the most "expert" term.
- Drift: Use this for young, domestic pigs or a group being moved.
- Drove: Use this for a group of hogs being moved collectively by a human.
- Litter: Use this only for siblings born at the same time.
- Team: Use this if the hogs are being used as draft animals (rare, but it happens).
- Passel: Use this if you want to sound like a character in a Western movie.
Practical Next Steps
Now that you know the lingo, what do you do with it? If you're a landowner, understanding the behavior of a sounder is crucial for management. Feral hogs cause billions of dollars in damage to US agriculture every year.
If you see a sounder on your property, don't try to handle it yourself with a broom. Contact your local wildlife extension or the USDA. They have specific protocols for trapping entire sounders at once. If you only catch one or two, the rest of the group learns and becomes "trap-shy," making the problem much harder to fix later.
For those who just like the trivia, the best thing you can do is start using the word "sounder" correctly. It’s a great way to bridge the gap between "guy who knows pigs" and "guy who knows words." Next time you're at the fair or watching a nature doc, point it out. "Look at that sounder." It’s a small bit of linguistic precision that honors the animals and the long history we have with them.
For more information on hog management and biology, checking out resources from Texas A&M AgriLife Extension or the Mississippi State University Extension Service is a great move. They are the leading experts on how these groups behave in the wild.