birds of a feather flock together

B

birds of a feather flock together,
also, birds of a feather

Meaning

• to form groups with people with similar interests and tastes.
• people of the same flavour or interest get together in groups.

Example Sentences

1. The team is divided into people from the same region batting against each other. Birds of a feather flock together.
2. The lawyers who attended the seminar were like birds of a feather flocking together. They have not even spoken to anyone outside their group.
3. Hey, Mom, I want to visit my grandmother’s house. I want to play with kids there. You know, birds of a feather flock together.
4. I love to talk to people who know about computers. Do you know why? Because birds of a feather flock together.
5. Every evening, many drinkers get together in a bar near our home. You know, birds of a feather flock together.

Origin

The phrase is speculated to have been around since the early 1500s, with the first literary origin being William Turner’s “The Rescuing of Romish Fox” in the year 1545. The exact phrase however was coined in 1599, which was found in the “Dictionaries in Spanish and English“. However, the speculation begins with the fact that this phrase is also present in the translations of Plato’s works from the year 380 BC by Benjamin Jowett in the year 1856. There are many other citations available, but none prior to what is mentioned here. After Plato’s work, the phrase seems to have come into existence only in the 1500s.

It does originate from nature’s phenomenon of birds that are similar flocking together. They reduce the risk of a predator attack because of the “safety in numbers” feature. It resonates well with the social requirements of human beings too, of course.

See also: birds of a feather.

Bird