Alarm Clock

How do roosters know when to crow?

Roosters have a circadian rhythm, an internal biological clock with an awareness of the day’s rhythm. They need to be regularly exposed to sunlight in order to maintain that awareness. Approximately two hours before sunrise, the rooster gets up to crow. The crowing is not just about greeting the morning, but about marking its territory. In a chicken yard, the head rooster always crows first, followed by his lower-level friends. While roosters are famous for crowing before sunrise, they can also crow at any time to react or communicate. Interestingly, when a rooster opens its beak, part of its ear canal closes to cover its eardrum, insuring that it does not go deaf from the sound of its own call!