“Coo-coo-doddle-do” The rooster crows before your alarm clock rings. If it was an alarm, you could switch it off, and return to the comforting arms of sleep. But, you can’t. It is a rooster. You wish it would shut up, but it keeps screaming. The sun doesn’t need you to announce its presence, Mr Rooster, Its rays will do that. So why don’t you just go back to sleep like the rest of us are?
If you are like me, you have probably wondered why anyone will choose to wake up screaming. In this article, we will be answering just that. Join me as we explore the reasons behind a rooster’s crow.
What is a Rooster?
Some of us don’t know exactly what a rooster is (”Some of us” used to be me). A rooster is not some alien rooster that abhors the sun. In simple words, a rooster is an adult male chicken. You probably know it by other names like Cock, Cockerel and Capon. A hen is its female counterpart. Roosters are usually more brightly coloured and have larger combs on their head compared to their female counterparts.
They can be found on every continent except Antarctica. It is estimated that about 23 billion roosters are found on farms around the world. Isn’t that an awfully large amount of alarm cocks? (See what I did there?)
These birds are omnivores feeding mainly on worms, fruit, grain, seeds, insects, snails, acorns, slugs, and similar foods.
Another interesting fact is that roosters have been crowing loudly on farms for about 5000 years now.
Now that we understand a little more about these birds, let’s look at the reason behind their crows.
The Myth: Alectryon
Throughout history, civilisations have tried to answer the question: Why does the rooster have nothing better to do than to crow in unholy hours?
Obviously, like every other thing ancient civilizations didn’t understand, a rooster’s crow was attributed to the gods. To them, that was the most logical explanation for early morning screams.
Before, we dive into the less exciting scientific explanation, let’s take a look at a popular myth.
In Greek mythology, when the god of war, Ares, and the goddess of love, Aphrodite( the wife of another god Hephatus) wanted to engage in a love affair, Ares put a young soldier named Alectryon (which translates to rooster in Greek) to keep watch against any possible whistleblower. Unfortunately, Alectryon fell asleep, allowing Helios, the sun god, to catch the lovers in the act and alert Hephaestus. Out of anger, Ares turned Alectryon into a rooster, and now his screams announce the sun’s arrival.
Why Do Roosters Crow?
I’m sure some of you agree with the above fable. But for the scientific-minded individuals, we’ll need to look at some “true” reasons. Who defines what’s true, anyway?
People have been trying to understand chicken’s crows for years, and science has no definite answer yet (Science doesn’t have all the answers, huh?). But what we do know is roosters don’t only crow in the day. In fact, through the course of a normal day, he will crow around 15 times on average.
Roosters crow at different times for different reasons. These reasons are:
Starting the day:
You’ve probably heard this early morning call quite a few times. Yes, the scream you hear while you’re buried within your blanket. Roosters usually crow before sunrise. The reason behind these crows is to start the day. The lead rooster wakes up early and checks his area for predators. When the coast is clear, he signals to the members of his flock to come out and start the day. Early crowing, has been noted to follow a hierarchy in the flock. The lead rooster crows first, and his subordinates follow.
Announcing his presence
The main rooster will crow to tell the members of his flock “Daddy is here.” His crowing also acts as a warning to potential rivals. He announces his territory to other roosters who are not within his flock to prevent trespassing. He probably says something like “You come near my house, I cut you. I cut you real good!”
A Warning
A rooster will scream when it sees a predator. He warns the other members of his flock to run and seek shelter. Oftentimes, the lead rooster is the last one to run. Roosters will also crow at unfamiliar things that they find threatening e.g. strangers, cars.
Mating Call
When it’s time to “get down to business,” a rooster will crow to announce to unattached hens that he’s available. Think of it as singing to your crush. Only that she enjoys hearing you scream to get her attention. If all it took was screaming to get the ladies, I’ll probably scream all day too.
Victory Shout
For every battle, there is a victor. And when it’s a battle for a mate, a victory shout must follow. A rooster crows to announce to his rivals, other roosters, that he has mated with the flyest chick in town. Talk about avian bragging rights.
“It’s Bedtime”
Additionally, roosters may also crow to signal the end of the day.
We don’t exactly know all the reasons why a rooster crows, and all the above are from observations and studies. But when we finally learn to speak chicken, we’ll have all our answers.
So next time you’re tempted to swear at a rooster for ruining your beauty sleep, know that he’s either preparing his family for the day’s work or hoping to get laid.
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