Nature’s Alarm Clock: Which Rooster Crows First?

BirdNote Daily

Roosters don’t need to set an alarm to tell them when it’s time to crow — their internal circadian clock lets them anticipate sunrise with remarkable accuracy. To us sleepy humans, it may seem like they all start crowing at once. But scientists have found that roosters follow a strict social hierarchy: only the top bird can issue the first cock-a-doodle-doo of the day!

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Roosters don’t need to set an alarm to tell them when it’s time to crow — their internal circadian clock lets them anticipate sunrise with remarkable accuracy. To us sleepy humans, it may seem like they all start crowing at once. But scientists have found that roosters follow a strict social hierarchy: only the top bird can issue the first cock-a-doodle-doo of the day!

More info and transcript at BirdNote.org.

Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Sign up for BirdNote+ to get ad-free listening and other perks. 

BirdNote is a nonprofit. Your tax-deductible gift makes these shows possible.

 


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

2025-10-21 1 min
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