Daily at the same time on farms and in villages the cock shout sounds. To learn what awakes these unruly birds in so early hour, researchers try still. And each new zoologist answers this question in own way, and everyone finds new proofs to the arguments.
Crowing of a rooster always served for people in the way to watch time, the first roosters played a role of the modern alarm clock, giving the owners a signal to awakening. Their shout was expected by peasants that, having crossed to start on the journey. The second roosters announced that it is time for peasants to milk cows, to knead dough for bread and to start other household chores. And already under shouts of the third roosters other village woke up, turning to the ordinary work.
Intimidation signal
Cock shout in itself is a signal for the potential rival, a way to designate the owner of the territory. In the native habitat all animals have the certain site where they are fed and breed. To protect it and to protect itself – the task set for them the nature.
Cruel fights, the injuries sustained in them, and especially the death of the males battling for the territory badly affect population and are harmful for the sake of appearances. Roosters, the famous squabblers, can resolve these issues without bloodshed – having just intimidated surrounding with loud crowing. The first crowing sounds already at dawn - as soon as the rooster wakes up, he hurries to declare himself to people around and the territorial rights. It is defined by biological clock, a daily rhythm and features of the central nervous system of a bird. However it does not answer a question in what way roosters define time. The most widespread version for today – on arrangement of stars. In the book "World of Our Feelings" Lev Economov tells that attempts of zoologists to connect singing of roosters with arrangement of stars led to surprising conclusions. It turned out that the first cock trills begin to sound as soon as in the sky Kanopus lights up (a star from the constellation Kiel) and when it is behind the horizon, the second roosters give a vote. The reasons of that, why shout the third roosters – still the obscure fact, as well as in what way these birds manage to be guided on stars, sitting in the closed hen house.
Attention of scientists
The Italian scientists even conducted a special research, having aimed to define whose biological clock works most precisely. For this purpose within a week deeply underground watched behavior of several hens, roosters, rabbits and two dozen scientists. It is no wonder that following the results of an experiment scientific the first "withdrew". Morning roosters are distributed as follows: - the first roosters – singing in the first one o'clock in the morning; - the second roosters – singing in the second hour; - the third roosters – singing at four o'clock in the morning.