A rooster (also called a cock or chanticleer) is a male chicken (Gallus gallus), the female being called a hen. The chicken ( Gallus gallus, sometimes G gallus domesticus) is a domesticated Fowl which is traditionally believed to have descended from Immature male chickens of less than a year's age are called cockerels. The oldest term is "cock", from Old English coc. But because "cock" is more frequently used as a slang term referring to the penis, this term is generally avoided for the sake of both propriety and clarity, although it remains accurate. It is replaced by synonyms: "cockerel" (which properly refers to a young male chicken) in the United Kingdom, and "rooster" (a relative neologism) in North America and Australia. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. "Roosting" is the action of perching aloft to sleep at night, and is actually done by both sexes. An organism's sex is defined by the gametes it produces males produce male gametes (spermatozoa or Sperm) while females produce female gametes (ova or Egg cells; individual The rooster is non-monogamous, but cannot guard several nests of eggs at once. Animal sexual behaviour takes many different forms even within the same Species. He guards the general area where his hens are nesting, and will attack other roosters who enter his territory. A bird nest is the spot in which a Bird lays and incubates its eggs and raises its young During the daytime, he often sits on a high perch, usually 4–5 feet off the ground, to serve as a lookout for his flock. He will sound a distinctive alarm call if predators are nearby. An alarm (French À l'arme - "To the arms" gives an audible or visual Warning of a problem or condition
The rooster is often (accurately) pictured in art as crowing at the break of dawn. He can often be seen sitting on fence posts or other objects, where he crows to proclaim his territory. However, when a rooster might crow at any time of day, if he looks into the sun - even sometimes on a bright moonlit night. He has several other calls as well, and can cluck the same as a hen. Roosters will occasionally make a pattern following clucking sound to attract hens to a source of food.
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Crowing in various languages
Roosters generally tend to wail when they are distressed or in heat. The sound made by the them is often referred to as "crowing" and is spelled onomatopœically as "cock-a-doodle-do" in English, but otherwise in some other languages:Albanian kikirikiki,Arabic kookookoo-koo,Armenian ծու-ղրու-ղու (tsu-ghru-ghu), Bulgarian кукуригу (kukurigu), Catalan Co-co-ro-co, Chinese goh-geh-goh-goh, Croatian ku-ku-ri-ku Czech kykyrikí, Danish kykeliky, Dutch kukeleku, Esperanto kokeriko, Estonian kukeleegu or kikerikii, Faroese kakkulárakó, Filipino Tik-ti-la-ok, Finnish kukkokiekuu, French cocorico, German kikeriki, Greek kikiriku, Gujarati kuk-de-kuk, Hebrew ku-ku-ri-ku, Hindustani kuk-roo-koon or kuk-roo-kroon, Hungarian kukurikú, Indonesian kukuruyuk, Italian chicchirichì, Japanese ko-ke kokkoh, Korean k'ok'iyo, Lithuanian ka-ka-rie-ku, Latvian ki-ke-ri-gū, Maltese ku-ku-ri-ku, Norwegian kykkeliky, Persian ququliqu, Polish kukuryku, Portuguese Có có ró có, Romanian cucurigu, Russian ку-ка-ре-ку (ku-ka-rye-ku), Sanskrit काक (kāka), Serbian ku-ku-ri-ku, Slovak kikirikí,Slovene kikiriki, Spanish 1)cucurucucu (pronounced coocooroocoocoo) or kikirikí (often, with an extra "kí"), Swahili KokoRikoo koo, Swedish kuckeliku, Tamil ko-ka-ra-ko, Malayalam ko-ka-ra-ko-ko, Thai eh-ee-eh-eh, Turkish üü-ürü-üüü, Urdu kuk roo kroon, and Vietnamese ò-ó-o-o. Onomatopoeia (also spelled onomatopœia, from Greek: ονοματοποιΐα is a Word or a grouping of words that imitates the sound it is describing Albanian (sq ''Gjuha shqipe'' ˈɟuha ˈʃcipɛ is an Indo-European language spoken by nearly 6 million peoplewhile others claim that it derives from Daco - Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language The Armenian language (hy հայերեն լեզու hajɛɹɛn lɛzu —, conventional short form) is an Indo-European language spoken by the Armenian Bulgarian (български език IPA: ɛzˈik is an Indo-European language, a member of the Slavic linguistic group Catalan ˈkætəˌlæn ( català kətəˈla or) is a Romance language, the national and official language of Andorra, and a co-official Croatian language ( hrvatski jezik) is a South Slavic language which is used primarily in Croatia, by Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina in neighbouring Czech (ˈʧɛk čeština ˈʧɛʃcɪna in Czech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers it is the majority language in the Danish ( d̥ænsɡ̊ is one of the North Germanic languages (also called Scandinavian languages a sub-group of the Germanic branch of the Dutch ( is a West Germanic language spoken by around 24 million people 22 million of which are from the Netherlands, Belgium and Suriname is by far the most widely spoken constructed International auxiliary language in the world Estonian (; ˈeːsti ˈkeːl is the official language of Estonia, spoken by about 1 Faroese ( føroyskt ˈføːɹɪst or) often also spelled Faeroese (cf Filipino is the national and an Official language of the Philippines as designated in the 1987 Philippine Constitution. Finnish ( or suomen kieli) is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland (92% As of 2006) and by ethnic Finns outside French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly Gujarati (ગુજરાતી Gujǎrātī ? Hindustani (हिन्दुस्तानी ہندوستانی Hindustānī, hɪn̪d̪ʊst̪aːniː also known as " Hindi-Urdu," is a term covering Hungarian ( magyar nyelv) is a Uralic language (more specifically a Ugric language) unrelated to most other languages in Europe. Indonesian or Bahasa Indonesia, based on the Riau version of Malay language, was declared the official language with the declaration of Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities This article is mainly about the spoken Korean language See Hangul for details on the native Korean writing system Lithuanian ( lietuvių kalba) is the official state language of Lithuania and is recognised as one of the official languages of the European Union. Latvian language (latviešu valoda is the official state language of Latvia. Maltese (Maltese Malti is the National language of Malta, and a co-official language of the country alongside English, Norwegian ( norsk) is a North Germanic Language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is an official language Polish ( język polski, polszczyzna) is the Official language of Poland. Portuguese ( or língua portuguesa) is a Romance language that originated in what is now Galicia (Spain and northern Portugal. Romanian or Daco-Romanian ( dated: Rumanian or Roumanian; self designation limba română, ˈlimba roˈmɨnə is a Romance Russian ( transliteration:,) is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages Sanskrit (sa संस्कृता वाक् saṃskṛtā vāk, for short sa संस्कृतम् saṃskṛtam) is a historical Serbian (sr-Cyrl српски језик sr-Latn ''srpski jezik'' is a South Slavic language, The Slovak language ( slovenčina, slovenský jazyk, not to be confused with Slovenščina) sometimes referred to as "Slovakian" Slovene or Slovenian ( slovenski jezik or slovenščina, not to be confused with Slovenčina) is a South Slavic language Swahili (called Kiswahili in the language itself is the First language of the Swahili people (Waswahili who inhabit several large stretches Swedish ( is a North Germanic language spoken by more than nine million people predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along the Tamil (ta தமிழ்; t̪əmɨɻ is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. Not to be confused with the Malay language. Malayalam (മലയാളം malayāḷaṁ) is a Dravidian language used Thai (th ภาษาไทย, transcription: phasa thai, transliteration:; pʰāːsǎːtʰāj is the national and Turkish ( tr Türkçe IPA) is a language spoken by over 63 million people worldwide making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Urdu ( ur '''{{Nastaliq اردو}}''' trans Urdū, historically spelled Ordu) is a Central Indo-Aryan language Urdu is a standardised Vietnamese ( tiếng Việt, or less commonly Việt ngữ) formerly known under French colonization as Annamese ( see Annam)
1)regional in some South American Spanish speaking countries
Cultural references
The Talmud refers to learning "courtesy from the cock" (eruvin 100b). The Talmud ( Hebrew: he תַּלְמוּד is a record of Rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, customs and history This reference may be attributed to the behaviour of a cock when he finds something good to eat: he calls his flock to eat first. This call is distinct from regular clucking or crowing. While giving this call, he will repeatedly pick up a morsel of food and drop it again to attract the attention of the hens. A mother hen uses a similar call and action to teach her chicks to feed. At another place in the Talmud (תלמוד בבלי מסכת ביצה דף ז עמוד א) it is said about the cock: "[. . . ] Everything that fulfils its task at daytime, is born at daytime - this is the cock". . . . And again at another place in the Talmud (תלמוד בבלי מסכת ברכות דף ז עמוד א) the cock is seen as an indicator of the short moment in the day where God could be angry and would permit the cursing of a person by another: "[. . . ] And when is he [God] angry? - Abaye says: In [one moment of] those first three hours of the day, when the comb of the cock is white and it stands on one foot. Anatomically a comb is a fleshy growth Caruncle, or crest on the top of the head of gallinaceous birds most notably turkeys Pheasants and Why, in each hour it stands thus? - In each hour it has red streaks, but in this moment it has no red streaks at all. " (However, this does not seem to apply to actual biology, because a cock's comb does not change color in the morning. It might be a literary hyperbole intended to say that God does not permit cursing others, since the moment described does not actually exist. Hyperbole (haɪˈpɝːbəli hye-PER-buh-lee; "HYE-per-bowl" is a mispronunciation comes from Greek "υπερβολή" (meaning exaggeration and is a And indeed, this next story supports that view):
- In the neighbourhood of R. Joshua B. Levi there was a Sadducee who used to annoy him very much with [his interpretation of] texts. The Sadducees were members of a Jewish sect founded in the second century BC, possibly as a political party One day the Rabbi took a cock, placed it between the legs of his bed and watched it. He thought: When this moment arrives I shall curse him. When the moment arrived he was dozing. [On waking up] he said: We learn from this that it is not proper to act in such a way. . . . " (The translation here is taken from the Soncino edition of the Babylonian Talmud. )
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Also the Greek philosopher Socrates has an interesting connection to a cock: After he has already drunk the poison in his cell in Athens (at the end of the Platonic Dialogue Phaedo) his last words are: "Crito, we owe a cock to Asclepius. SOCRATES is the European Community action programme in the field of Education. Athens (ˈæθənz Αθήνα Athina,) the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery as one of the world's Biography Early life Birth and family Plato was born in Athens Greece Plato 's Phaedo (ˈfiːdoʊ Greek: Φαίδων, Phaidon) is one of the great Dialogues of his middle period along with Please, don't forget to pay the debt. " Santiago de Compostela stopped in Barcelos and was wrongly accused of theft and sentenced to death by hanging. After appealing to Our Lady and Saint James the Great, he announced that if he was innocent, the roasted cock that the judge was about to eat would get up and crow. For people and places called Saint James, see the Saint James disambiguation page It did, the pilgrim was spared, and since then, brightly painted ceramic cockerels are sold throughout Portugal as symbols of good luck.
A similar story is told in the mediaeval carol Herod and the Cockin which a sceptical King Herod sneers that if the news of the birth of the Messiah be true, the very cock on the platter before him will come to life and crow loudly. Herod (הוֹרְדוֹס Horodos, Greek: Herōdes) also known as Herod I or Herod the Great (73 BC – 4 BC in Jericho The story is also found in some of the New Testament Apocrypha.
Some Vietnamese refer to the cock by extending their thumb from a fist, then bringing that fist to the crown of the head while moving in an arcing motion toward the base of the head. This action symbolizes the power the cock holds in the Vietnamese culture. During the Tet (New Year's) Festival feathers from the cock are used to sweep out evil and bring joy and peace in with the new year.
Capons
A capon is a castrated rooster. A capon is a Rooster whose reproductive organs were removed at a young age Castration (also referred to as Gelding, Neutering, Fixing, orchiectomy, and orchidectomy is any action surgical, chemical In this procedure the testes of the rooster are completely removed; a surgical procedure is required for this as its sexual organs are not external (most birds do not possess a penis, however roosters have a small penis to facilitate mating). As a result of this procedure certain male physical characteristics will develop, but stunted:
- The comb and wattles cease growing after castration, so the head of a capon looks small.
- The hackle, tail and saddle feathers grow unusually long. Feathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering or Plumage, on Birds They are considered the most complex integumentary structures
Caponization also affects the disposition of the bird. Removal of the bird's testes eliminates the male sex hormones, lessening the male sex instincts and changing their behaviour: the birds become more docile and less active and tend not to fight. The testicle (from Latin testiculus, diminutive of testis, meaning "witness" virility plural testes) is the male Hormones (from Greek ὁρμή - "impetus" are chemicals released by cells that affect cells in other parts of the body
This procedure produces a unique type of poultry meat which is favoured by a specialized market. The meat of normal uncastrated roosters has a tendency to become coarse, stringy and tough as the birds age. This process does not exist in the capon. As caponized roosters grow slower than entire males they accumulate more body fat; the concentration of fat in both the light and dark areas of the capon meat is greater than in that of the uncastrated males; overall, it is often thought that capon meat is more tender, juicy, and flavorful than regular chicken. In Animal fancy and Animal husbandry, entire indicates that an animal has not been desexed i
In China, the Yangbi Huang breed can grow to be the largest rooster in the Asian continent, up to 35 cm long. This is thought to be caused by the castration of the roosters practised by farmers in Northern China, which affects the hormonal balance.
Cockfight
A cockfight is a contest held in a ring called a cockpit between two gamecocks. A cockfight is a Blood sport between two Roosters held in a ring called a cockpit A gamecock is a type of Rooster with physical and behavioral traits derived from breeding for cockfighting. Gamecocks are not typical farm chickens. The roosters are specially bred and trained for increased stamina and strength. See Breed (song for the song by Nirvana. See Breed (video game for the video game by Brat Designs The comb and wattle is cut off of a young gamecock because if left intact, it would be a disadvantage during a match. A wattle is a fleshy Dewlap or Caruncle hanging from various parts of the head or neck in several groups of birds goats and other animals Sometimes they are given drugs to increase their stamina or thicken their blood, which increases their chances of winning. Cockfighting is considered a traditional sporting event by some, and an example of animal cruelty by most. Sport is an Activity that is governed by a set of rules or Customs and often engaged in competitively Cruelty to animals refers to the infliction of unnecessary Suffering or Harm to animals [1] Usually wagers are made on the outcome of the match, with the surviving or last-bird-standing being declared the winner. Thousands of birds are killed, maimed, or hurt during cockfights every year, while many die from alleged "conditioning" methods which include feeding the birds drugs and or having wounded animals fight for their life.
The cockerel "Waltz", when the cockerel struts in a half circle with one wing extended down, is an aggressive approach signifying to females his dominance, and usually, the female will submit by running or moving away from the cockerel in acknowledgement. On rare occasions, the hen will attempt to fight the cockerel for dominance. Once dominance is established, the cockerel will rarely waltz again. When other cockerels are in the hen yard, this waltz is used significantly more and most cockerels will waltz together if dominance has not been established, and either, one will back off or the two cockerels will fight. Note also that the cockerel will waltz again if he is taken out of the pen for a period, usually 24 hrs, and put back.
Some cockerels that are more aggressive, will drop and extend both wings and puff out all their body feathers to give the hens and/or other roosters the impression of a larger size, and charge through the hen yard like a bull
Emblems
The cockerel was already of symbolic importance in Gaul at the time of the invasion of Julius Caesar and was associated with the god Lugus. Tottenham Hotspur, ˈtɒʔnəm is an English professional football club which currently plays in the Premier League. Denizlispor is a sports club based in Denizli, Turkey. It is known by its distinct green and black colors Gaul (Gallia was the Roman name for the region of Western Europe comprising present day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Lugus was a deity apparently worshipped widely in antiquity in the Celtic -speaking world Today it is an emblem of France and Wallonia. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Wallonia, or Wallonie, (Wallonie Wallonien Wallonië Waloneye is the Meridional part of Belgium belonging to the Romance linguistic field
The fighting cockerel on a ball is the symbol for Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. Tottenham Hotspur, ˈtɒʔnəm is an English professional football club which currently plays in the Premier League. The cockerel wears a pair of spurs which is a reference to the club's nickname. It has been present on their crest and shield since 1901.
Additionally, the cockerel is the emblem of Turkish sports club Denizlispor, which was founded in 1966. Denizlispor is a sports club based in Denizli, Turkey. It is known by its distinct green and black colors Also, the supporters of the club are called cockerels.
Sources
- Smith, P. The Chicken Book, North Point Press, 1982, passim.
See also
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