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Birds of a Feather Flock Together Posted by on Feb 26, 2012 in English Language, English Vocabulary

The phrase ‘birds of a feather flock together’ is an expression, which generally means: people with similar tastes and interests stick together or form groups.  The phrase often stands on its own, is used as a response to something someone has said to you, or it is used to simply make an observation.  Here are some examples of how the phrase can be used.

Person 1: We hardly ever see my brother any more.  He is always hanging out with his artist friends.
Person 2: Birds of a feather flock together.
Person 1: That’s true they are all alike.

Person 1: Look at all of those teenage girls wearing almost exactly the same clothes.  They always do everything with one another too.
Person 2: Well, birds of a feather do flock together.

Sometimes people manipulate the words in this expression a little to fit a specific context or situation, but the meaning of the expression remains the same.  Here are some examples of what types of manipulations might be made to this phrase, while it still has the same meaning as above.

Person 1: Women of my age flock together; we are birds of a feather.

Person 1: I’m so happy Meredith and Aiden got married; they are birds of a feather.

In nature, birds of the same species do in fact frequently form flocks* and then fly together.   That is where this expression comes from!  Scientist who study this behavior explain that it provides birds ‘safety in numbers’ to be together, so that they are at less risk of predators.  The same general idea is true for people, as it is for bird.  Although people are less concerned with attacks from predators and more concerned with being around like-minded friends for comfort and conversation.

 

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About the Author: Gabriele

Hi there! I am one of Transparent Language's ESL bloggers. I am a 32-year-old native English speaker who was born and raised in the United States. I am living in Washington, DC now, but I have lived all over the US and also spent many years living and working abroad. I started teaching English as a second language in 2005 after completing a Master's in Applied Linguists and a Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults' (CELTA). Since that time I have taught ESL in the United States at the community college and university level. I have also gone on to pursue my doctorate in psychology and now I also teach courses in psychology. I like to stay connected to ESL learners around the world through Transparent Languages ESL Blog. Please ask questions and leave comments on the blog and I will be sure to answer them.


Comments:

  1. Jagruti:

    It was a nice essay on birds of a feather flock togther