by Pajarita » Sun Dec 18, 2016 12:06 pm
The 'Head Honcho' is the strongest or the most assertive bird but not necessarily the leader or alpha which is what hierarchy-based social groups have. When you talk about 'dominance', it implies a hierarchical role with alphas, betas, deltas, etc. It's a social structure that repeats itself generation after generation and in grouping after grouping of the same species (like horses, wolves, elephants, etc). It's a survival mechanism that allows the individuals in the group to achieve the most efficiency in their daily activities because having an established order eliminates constant fighting which consumes time and energy that needs to be used for survival. The Alpha is more than just the strongest animal in the group (although strength is the way to acquire, maintain and assert the role), it's the leader and/or the protector and/or the one that breeds, etc. The 'pecking order' expression comes from a German scientist who studied chicken social groupings in the early 1900's and determined that, within the group, the hens established their 'place' by pecking each other. The rooster is the alpha and protector of the harem of hens he keeps where he is the only male that procreates. But, within the harem, there are hens that have more 'stature' than others and which have better access to resources (nests, food, water, etc) - thus, the 'order'. The adult strong hens are the ones that have the higher status, with the older, younger, weaker ones having the lower echelons. But this order changes as the animals grow up, get older, etc.