The rooster crows at dawn: true or false?

Find the podcast behind this transcription in Science or Fiction magazine. © Futura

Rooster, also known by its scientific name Gallus Gallus domestica– a species of bird in the family Phasianids.

Who is the rooster?

This is a bird that people have domesticated for thousands of years. Thus, he passed numerous selections. geneticsgenetics develop certain characteristics that humans strive for, such as plumage color, body size and shape, or even behavior. As a result, today, from an anatomical point of view, the rooster has several distinctive features. His crest is already an element that cannot be missed, and it is not just a strange growth that is useless. It is formed by spongy tissues irrigated by numerous blood vessels and plays a role in the regulation Body temperatureBody temperature. There are also antennae located under the beak. They are also vascularized and also serve to regulate body temperature and can change appearance depending on the health of the creature. We can also mention its very efficient respiratory system. He really has respiratoryrespiratory unidirectional, that is, a system that allows him to inhale continuously along one route and exhale continuously along another. Ideal for playing the didgeridoo! In fact, it is a trait common to all birds and some reptiles that allows them to maintain high levels of oxygen in their blood and therefore metabolismmetabolism tall, useful when you need to desperately flap your wings to fly.

The Rooster is known for its complex social behavior. In fact, he imposes a hierarchy in his group, where he usually occupies the first place, a dominant position. He also uses his song, the famous kokoriko, to demarcate his territory and attract chickens to his harem. And of course, the rooster plays a central role in chicken reproduction. In short, from an anatomical or behavioral point of view, the rooster is a really interesting animal, but yes, I know that is not the only reason we are discussing it. You want to know whether the “coricoricot” is from the first rays of the Sun or not.

History of the circadian rhythm

Fine, a priori, both answers are possible. Many animal species, including us, depend on physiological processes that change with the cycle of day and night. Have you noticed that, in any case, when we follow a daily rhythm, we tend to be more agitated during the day, more tired as night falls, etc. This is called the circadian rhythm, and it is based on our The biological clockThe biological clock. So, of course, nothing to do with a clock that has hands. Biological clock is a whole complex of phenomena occurring in your body depending on the time of day and, very often, depending on the amount lightlight natural. It’s here melatoninmelatoninA hormonehormone is synthesized in the absence of this light, which helps our body keep its rhythm and not completely shift. But she’s not the only one getting involved. For example, at the end of the day the speedinsulininsulin decreases, which slows down the metabolism of our body, which prepares for sleep and therefore fasting in the following hours. Well, in the same way, the rooster depends on the biological rhythm, which will affect its activity day and night. So is this what makes him want to sing at certain times? This question is worth asking because we have already heard a rooster crow during the day or even at night if the car’s headlights carcar shine in his direction! So this could be the answer to stimulationstimulation exterior.

But in fact, Japanese researchers from Nagoya University conducted a series of experiments on roosters. Having selected forty of them, genetically identical, they placed them in conditions brightnessbrightness alternating 12 hours of day and 12 hours of night for two weeks. During this time, their screams were recorded. Conclusion of this stage: the birds began to sing about two to three hours before dawn, the result is completely consistent with what we observe in the wild. Then comes the second stage of the study. These same roosters now had to live in light, weak, of course, but constant, so that changes in brightness could not affect their cry. We leave them in these conditions for two weeks, and the result is obvious: absolutely nothing has changed in their singing habits. They cook at the same time every day. So yes, it is true, from time to time they sang at other times of the day, when, for example, we sent them more intense fluorescent light, or then in response to the song of a conspecific. But it was still more random and less frequent than during the very first light.dawndawn. So, not so much the rays of the Sun, since it hasn’t quite risen yet, but a biological clock that actually makes this bird sing in the early morning hours, without necessarily making it completely mute at other times of the day. well.

Social status is important!

Also, not all roosters crow at the same time. Everything will depend on his social status. We must not allow a man to outshine his superior! In any case, these birds do not intend to serve as alarm clocks, even if it is true that they have long been used as such. Remember that, first of all, the crowing of a rooster, no matter what time it sounds, simply serves to mark its territory!

Oh, and by the way, did you know that not all roosters in the world speak the same language? In France they cry kokoriko, and in Germany there is a song that sounds more like something else. ki-ke-ri-kiin the UK we hear an even more refined sound: peek-a-doodleand yes, this is not nothing, and finally in Japan he woke us up ko-ke-ko-ko. What version do you prefer?