Why do roosters crow and how do they determine the time when to sing

We all know well from childhood that roosters are natural alarm clocks. After all, these birds sing day after day at the same time. One might think that such accuracy is the result of centuries of training and careful selection. However, in reality everything is much simpler. People have nothing to do with cocksong. The merit in her constancy belongs only to Mother Nature.

First of all, it should be said that the song of a rooster is the same as the song of a nightingale, a starling or a canary. Domestic birds sing immediately after waking up. And they wake up in winter and summer at the same time. Neither sunrise nor weather conditions affect this — the rooster listens only to his biological clock.

Roosters sing not only in the morning, but throughout the day. The meaning of their cry is extremely simple — in this way males clearly define the boundaries of their territory, establish contact with other birds, consolidate themselves in the hierarchy and make it clear to their family that they are in charge here and are nearby.

Ethologists call the rooster's cry a territorial acoustic (sound) signal. People hear his voice at a distance of more than two kilometers. The birds themselves, having more subtle senses, recognize each other by song at a much greater distance.

Loud noises are also designed to scare away other males who could covet the leader's chicken harem. Therefore, each rooster tries his best to sing as loudly as possible. Sometimes he climbs higher so that he can be heard better. In nature, this behavior of males plays a very important role, but for domestic birds it is almost useless. But the roosters, obeying their instincts, continue to sing, and this is in the hands of people.

It can be noticed that as soon as one rooster begins to sing in the village, others pick up his song. They seem to respond to the song of the first male, telling him that they have heard his cry and will also not remain in debt and will take the fight if he decides to encroach on their chicken coop.

It also happens that two or even several roosters live in the yard. In this case, only the strongest male has the right to the first song. If a rooster standing in the hierarchy below forgets and sings, then the leader will never pick up his song. In this case, he immediately attacks the opponent to put in place.

A lot of beliefs were associated with the singing of roosters in Russia. It was believed that the first cry of a bird announces the end of the time allotted to evil forces and destroys their charms.