This is Bird Note.

Ever been woken up really early in the morning by the sound?

And before you know it, you and every rooster in the neighborhood are wide awake before the sun has even risen.

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,

even in complete darkness.

To us sleepy humans, it may seem like they all start crowing at once,

but it turns out that the first bird to call isn't just early.

He's the boss.

Chickens are deeply social animals.

In small flocks, where they all know each other,

usually groups with fewer than 10 birds,

they form what's called a pecking order.

It's a stable social hierarchy where every chicken knows its place.

In this structure, dominant roosters get first dips on everything,

food, mates, roosting places, and even crowing order.

Researchers found that the reigning rooster gets to crow first while the others wait their turn.

If the top rooster is removed, the next ranking bird in the pecking order steps up to

take his place, and so on.

In the barnyard, only one bird gets the honor of announcing the new day and waking you up.

For bird note, I'm Lucina Melesio.