The crow of a rooster became a natural alarm clock for villagers. For many centuries, this bird loudly and continuously announced that the sun had risen and a new day had begun. However, it is possible to hear the male's crowing throughout the day, even at night. Some roosters crow louder and longer than others, and in different countries it differs. But they start singing at a certain age. Read about this and much more in our article.
Age for crowing
There are different breeds of roosters: some crow louder, others quieter, and others longer. But the overwhelming majority crow.
A male, to whom nature has not given the opportunity to communicate with his relatives by crowing, is discarded.
Let's figure out at what age roosters begin to crow. After hatching, the chicks' vocal cords are not yet strong enough to scream loudly and for a long time. Up to 3 months these are squeaking chicks.
Next, the chicken begins to practice singing. But this is still the formation of the voice, reminiscent of a squeak with a slight hoarseness. And already at 4-5 months, the young rooster begins to make sounds that are no different from the singing of adult males.
The nature of mosquito squeaks
Actually, the insect, which lives on all continents with the exception of Antarctica, does not make high-pitched sounds during flight on purpose. This is due to the peculiarities of physiology. The reason for the specific itching, and not the buzzing that larger insects emit, is the small size of the body and thin, narrow wings. For example, the flapping frequency of a large bumblebee, which buzzes almost in bass, varies from 120 to 250 Hz. Whereas in a mosquito this figure is already 1000 Hz! When flapping, wave-like vibrations of air occur, which diverge from the insect to a certain distance. It is these sounds that the human ear perceives as a squeak. At the same time, females squeak louder because they flap their wings more often compared to males. The younger the individual, the higher its squeak will be.
During the mating season, females attract males by squeaking: they catch the waves with the help of their sensitive antennae. Entomologists also believe that bloodsuckers make sounds to attract their own relatives, alerting them to danger or the presence of a potential food source. This is why an annoyingly squeaking cloud of mosquitoes soon forms near people who go out into nature: the insects are preparing for a meal and inviting fellow tribesmen to a feast
This is interesting
It is noteworthy that males speak different languages in their own way:
- The crow of a rooster in Russia sounds like a crow.
- In Japan, the male says - koke-koh-koh.
- In Germany, the cockerel crows - kike-ri-ki.
There are also specially bred singing breeds of roosters. For example, Yurlovskaya vociferous. They begin to develop vocal cords much later than others, at the age of 9-10 months. Their voice becomes completely stronger as the year approaches.
It is also interesting to observe the sounds the chicken makes. According to statistics, the female constructs up to 30 sentences from the sounds made in her language.
When a chicken sings, you can notice how the production of pronounced sounds, intonation and timbre changes.
For example, chickens cluck very excitedly if they feel danger or stress. If you give a female a rooster, her cackling will be inviting. And over the hatched chickens she clucks like a hen.
Different mosquito squeaks
Initially, it seems that all mosquitoes squeak the same way, but if you listen, the sounds are different. Males create a hum and are not particularly annoying to the human ear. Since they are not interested in blood, they are seen much less often than females.
Females communicate using squeaks. They transmit messages to each other about the location of a potential victim and warn of danger. Females attract males for mating with a thin squeak and flap their wings more often than usual. After fertilization, the individual sits quietly on the sidelines for several days, digesting food. And also during this time eggs are formed. Laying is done in a couple of days in a standing pond.
On a note!
Mosquitoes are attracted to a person by the smell of lactic acid, carbon dioxide, and infrared color, which forms an aura around the body. As soon as one female discovers a victim, after a few minutes a person has to fight off a colony of annoying pests
Hierarchy and other features
The order of cockcrow is determined by the hierarchy. The leader of the herd sings first. Following him are males one step lower in status.
If a young man speaks up early and stops observing the laws, he may be pecked to death. Or make him an outcast for excessive insolence. On the other hand, any cockerel is given the opportunity to prove its superiority.
To a farmer, the crowing of a rooster can indicate various problems in the flock. We give examples below. Also, by singing males you can set your watch.
Not so long ago, in villages and villages, the crow of a rooster was a reference point for time. Most farmers woke up and started working on the farm with the first roosters.
Why does the rooster crow
Roosters never speak without a reason. There is an explanation for any singing.
Chickens always have a leader. This is the alpha male, the strongest rooster, who has managed to prove his superiority over others. He controls the flock with his crowing.
The crowing of a rooster can indicate that feeders or drinking bowls are empty.
Another reason for rooster crowing can be a change in weather conditions or atmospheric pressure.
Late in the evening the herd has a roll call. This explains why the rooster crows at night. There is no need to be afraid of evening activity; this is normal.
With a loud cry, the male can challenge an opponent to fight.
In the middle of the day, the cockerel and hen sing to solve pressing problems.
Let's figure out why roosters crow in the morning and at other times of the day.
Scream at different times
The rooster crows several times during the night, in the morning and during the day. Let's find out exactly what time he starts crowing.
Numerous observations show that the rooster crows at night at one and two. In the morning, his cry invariably begins at 4 o'clock.
For many, it remains a mystery how the rooster determines the time to crow. Japanese scientists have concluded that the male's calls directly depend on the appearance of stars in the sky.
Biological clock is another reason that causes rooster crows. The bird clearly senses time intervals. This leads to a loud notification to the herd about the passage of a certain time.
Why do mosquitoes buzz?
A mosquito is a two-winged insect from the long-whiskered group. The bloodsucker has a thin body, ranging from 4 to 14 mm in length. It has narrow, colorless wings, as well as elongated legs.
On the head there is a proboscis and two antennae. The color is brown, gray or black.
Insects live everywhere except Antarctica. Bloodsuckers live in forests in humid areas. They are distinguished by fast flight, the speed of which is 3.2 km per hour.
Most insects buzz. But not many people know why the mosquito squeaks. It produces sound due to its small body size and thin, narrow wings, which are the dorsolateral appendages of the middle thorax, which are developed in a single pair.
The appendages are oval in shape and have straight edges. Posteriorly there is an alula and an upper calypter covered with hairs.
During the flight of the little bloodsucker, a high-pitched signal resembling a squeak appears. The buzzing of a mosquito is accompanied by a subtle sound, since the oscillation frequency of its wings is from 1000 Hertz.
For example, a bumblebee creates a bassier sound when flying. This is not surprising, because the flapping frequency of its wings is 130-240 Hz.
It is interesting that butterflies fly silently. This is explained by the minimum number of movements of their wings, which is 5-9 Hz. But one species of lepidoptera is considered an exception - the hawk moth. This butterfly is also capable of squeaking.
Females can squeak more powerfully than males. Therefore, people hear mosquitoes that flap their wings more often than males. Moreover, the younger the female, the higher she will squeak.
Scientists also claim that bloodsuckers make a high-pitched sound, notifying their relatives of impending danger or the presence of a food source. That is why a large number of insects gather near a person in nature.
And why are they buzzing?
Thus, the specific sounds of these blood-sucking insects perform several functions:
1. Communicate with each other through ultrasonic signals.
2. Females attract males for mating;
3. Ensuring balance when hovering in the air.
Of course, due to the ability to quickly rotate their wings, mosquitoes look like a kind of mini-helicopter. Which is useful when you need to hover in the air and carefully choose a more appetizing lunch and slowly, so as not to actively fight off the gourmet. And since you need to share with friends, including the coordinates of a juicy little man, snoring peacefully and unaware of the attack, then a vile buzz is indispensable for notification.
Scream volume
The volume of a cockerel's crow can reach 90 decibels. A dog's barking, for example, is not much different from crowing.
A crowing rooster is much quieter than the engine of an old tractor plowing a field. Some electric instruments operate with louder sounds.
But the crow of a rooster can become an irritating factor for an unprepared person. This is because males cannot be silenced at night or early in the morning. All the same dogs can be weaned from barking.
Frequency and duration of singing
In the wild, cockerels vocalize more often than their domesticated counterparts. After all, at home, many irritating factors disappear.
During the day, males speak more often, due to a more intense pace of life. At night the rooster crows a couple of times. It is also enough for him to notify the herd about dawn or sunset 2-3 times.
How a rooster crows and the duration of its crow also depends on the variety. On average, a song lasts from 5 to 25 seconds. Representatives of some vocal breeds can hold a note for a minute.
If the cockerel begins to crow frequently and heart-rendingly, this may indicate a problem. Especially if he is not a vocal breed. In such cases, it is recommended to check the situation in the chicken coop.
What does a mosquito squeak?
Answering the question of what a mosquito squeaks with, experts say that the nasopharynx or mouth is not involved in this process. The squeak is created by wings fluttering at high speed. When they interact with air, a squeaking sound occurs. Moreover, the buzzing appears even with the first flap of the wings.
A thin squeak is produced due to the presence of narrow, thin and small wings of the pest. It is also allowed to squeak by special halteres located on its miniature body.
So, there are many reasons why a mosquito squeaks . The first factor is that bloodsuckers communicate with each other through ultrasonic signals, the second is that the buzzing sound appears during the frequent flapping of their thin and small wings.
Thirdly, the squeak occurs because the mosquito, while in the air, uses its halteres, which are responsible for balance and hovering. And females make high-frequency sounds to attract a male for mating or to repel him during pregnancy.
A mosquito can squeak for various reasons, but this ability is not entirely safe for the insect itself. After all, the victim hears that the bloodsucker is approaching, which allows it to often avoid an attack or even destroy the pest.
Weaning off night chants
The crowing of roosters cannot be trained. And it will not be possible to completely wean him from crowing. The following actions will help reduce the number of screams per day.
You need to check the chicken coop for holes - they should be concreted. Rats and mice crawl through them, scaring the birds.
It is advisable to make a fence about 40 cm deep around the perimeter of the chicken coop. This will also protect the birds from intrusion by uninvited guests. As well as special traps.
You can give a particularly noisy rooster to another flock.
To prevent the rooster from crowing, you can use a special Velcro collar. It is sold in veterinary pharmacies and specialty stores.
Operating principle: the collar slightly compresses the cockerel’s neck, preventing it from taking in full lungs of air for a long and loud cry. According to reviews, the device is safe for birds. And after a few days, a habit develops.
Why are ultrasonic repellers effective?
Simple devices have been used for several years to repel mosquitoes. They work on the basis of ultrasound, which imitates the sound of natural enemies - dragonflies, bats, and fertilized females. Mosquitoes pick up ultrasound vibrations at a distance of several meters and try to stay away from such a place.
The ultrasonic repeller clears the room of annoying bloodsuckers within 30 minutes. Even with open windows, pests do not fly into the house. This once again confirms the fact that mosquitoes squeak for a reason; they emit special signals.
The characteristic squeak does not always work to the benefit of mosquitoes. Their approach to a person gives them away. Since bloodsuckers are not able to quickly respond to movement or air vibrations, swatting them down is not difficult.
Sources
- https://apest.ru/komary/o-komarah/pochemu-komary-pishchat/
- https://fishki.net/3386030-komarinyj-pisk-zhara-ijuly-chem-zhuzhzhat-komary-i-pochemu-oni-jeto-delajut.html
- https://klopkan.ru/komary/pochemu-komar-pischit-a-ne-zhuzhzhit-chem-i-kak-on-izdayot-takoy-zvuk/
- https://komarmuha.ru/pochemu-pischat-komary
- https://notklop.ru/komary/o-komarah/pochemu-komary-pishchat/
- https://parazitdoma.ru/drugie-parazity/pochemu-komar-pischit
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Reasons for stopping crowing
One out of two
There are times when the rooster crowed, and then suddenly and for a long time fell silent. There is an explanation for this too.
In some cases, normal physiological processes become the cause. In others, the sudden silence of the leader of the herd should be alarming.
Change of plumage
Cockerels moult in the second half of autumn. During this period, even the most active leader becomes less active and refuses to eat. Stops crowing, which is caused by a decrease in the production of thyroid hormones.
Molting lasts about 2.5 months. The later it starts, the shorter the daylight hours. This means the process takes longer. You can increase daylight hours by using artificial lighting. And then the pen change will be faster.
As soon as the molt passes, the singing continues with the same force.
Depressive state
It may be that the rooster stopped crowing due to a drop in self-esteem. That is, he personally stopped considering himself a brave and cocky leader.
Most often this occurs after a serious illness. Or after removal of the testes, when the male is no longer interested in the hens.
Aging and breed characteristics
With age, primacy is transferred to young, strong individuals. An aging male sings hoarsely and not so loudly. Over time, the voice disappears completely.
Hormonal changes and illness
A malfunction in the hormonal system of the cockerel also provokes the cessation of singing. Hormonal problems should be treated with the help of a veterinarian. Sometimes the voice does not recover after treatment.
A male’s voice may also disappear due to illness:
- bronchopneumonia;
- colibacillosis;
- infectious bronchitis;
- respiratory tract diseases.
Learn more in the article “Symptoms and Treatment of Common Chicken Diseases.”
Mechanism of sound appearance
Now it became clear how the mosquito buzzes. The insect begins to squeak during flight, intensively flapping its thin and long wings.
There are also rudiments on the back of the mosquito's body. The halteres are similar in appearance to bell-shaped appendages, which are a gyroscopic organ of balance. With the help of rudiments, the bloodsucker can hover in the air before attacking the victim.
To stay in the air, a mosquito needs to make 500-1000 beats per second with its halteres and wings. It is at this time that the bloodsucker begins to squeak.
