How loud is a rooster crowing?
A rooster's crow measures about 100 to 108 dB at 1 m. A 2018 study reports crowing at 100 dB at 1 m and measured up to 142.3 dB at the entrance to the rooster's own ear canal, and a 2021 review lists a peak of 108 dB at 1 m for the domestic chicken.
- Level
- 100–108 dB maxunweighted maximum sound level
- Distance
- 1 m1 m
- Daily limit
- About 2 min 22 s a dayNIOSH, at the loud end
What the numbers mean
How it was measured. Crowing measured at 1 m: 100 dB as reported in Claes et al. (2018) and a peak source level of 108 dB re 20 µPa at 1 m (Brackenbury 1979, as tabulated by Jakobsen et al. 2021). At the entrance of the rooster's own ear canal, levels reached 133.5 dB (Claes et al. 2017) and 142.3 dB (Claes et al. 2018). Weighting not stated.
Roosters are loud for their size. Claes and colleagues (2018) note that crowing is reported at 100 dB at 1 m; their own recordings found 102 dB at 0.5 m, and at the entrance to the outer ear canal levels reached 142.3 dB. A 2021 review by Jakobsen and colleagues lists the domestic chicken at a peak source level of 108 dB re 20 µPa at 1 m, based on Brackenbury (1979).
Those ear-canal figures raise the question of how roosters avoid deafening themselves. Micro-CT scans in the 2018 study showed that in roosters the auditory canal closes when the beak is opened, while in hens it only narrows. An earlier study by the same group recorded 133.5 dB near the ears of a crowing rooster.
Distance makes a large difference: the 2018 recordings show the level falling from over 140 dB at the ear to about 102 dB just half a metre away.
How long is safe?
NIOSH recommends no more than 2 min 22 s a day at 108 dBA (15 min at 100). OSHA's legal limit is 40 min. This is a maximum, so a time limit based on it is a worst case. This level is not A-weighted, so the times are approximate: low-pitched sound measures lower in dBA.
| Level | NIOSH limit (85 dBA, 3 dB rule) | OSHA limit (90 dBA, 5 dB rule) | UK/EU 80 dB(A) action value reached after | UK/EU 85 dB(A) action value reached after |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 dB max | 15 min | 2 h | 4 min 48 s | 15 min |
| 108 dB max | 2 min 22 s | 40 min | 46 s | 2 min 24 s |
Times are for a whole day’s exposure, with the rest of the day quiet. The workplace limits were written for adults at work, not for children. Work out a mixed day with the noise dose calculator.
Children
Children feeding or holding chickens should not put their faces close to a rooster that may crow; the level drops quickly with distance.
Protecting your hearing
At normal distances a crow is brief and not a hearing risk. Poultry keepers working inside a shed with several roosters should consider earplugs; keep sleeping areas well away from the coop.
Earplug and earmuff ratings (NRR in the US, SNR in the UK and EU) are lab figures; real-world protection is usually lower. How to read the ratings.
Compared with sounds nearby
Using midpoints of each range. Energy multiplies by 10 every 10 dB; perceived loudness roughly doubles (why).
- Coquí frog (95 dB max): this has about 7.9× its sound energy and sounds about 1.9× as loud.
- Cicada (85–108.9 dB max): this has about 5.1× its sound energy and sounds about 1.6× as loud.
- Fighter jet (103–113 dB max): it has about 2.5× the sound energy of this and sounds about 1.3× as loud.
- Lion roar (114–117 dB max): it has about 14× the sound energy of this and sounds about 2.2× as loud.
Questions
How many decibels is a rooster crow?
About 100 dB at 1 m as reported in a 2018 study, with a peak of 108 dB at 1 m in a 2021 review.
Why don't roosters go deaf?
A 2018 study found that when a rooster opens its beak to crow, its ear canal closes, protecting it from the 142.3 dB measured at the ear canal entrance.
How far away do you need to be?
Levels fall fast: the 2018 study measured 102 dB at 0.5 m against 142.3 dB at the ear canal entrance.
Sources
- Do high sound pressure levels of crowing in roosters necessitate passive mechanisms for protection against self-vocalization?, Zoology (Claes et al., 2018), via PubMed. Supports: dB_low: 100 dB at 1 m.
Crowing in roosters is reported to produce sound pressure levels of 100dB measured at a distance of 1m.
Checked 2026-11-02. - Do high sound pressure levels of crowing in roosters necessitate passive mechanisms for protection against self-vocalization?, Zoology (Claes et al., 2018), via PubMed. Supports: body: 142.3 dB at ear canal entrance.
sound pressure levels can reach amplitudes of 142.3dB
Checked 2026-11-02. - Do high sound pressure levels of crowing in roosters necessitate passive mechanisms for protection against self-vocalization?, Zoology (Claes et al., 2018), via PubMed. Supports: body: 102 dB at 0.5 m.
at a distance of 0.5m sound pressure levels already drop to 102dB
Checked 2026-11-02. - Do high sound pressure levels of crowing in roosters necessitate passive mechanisms for protection against self-vocalization?, Zoology (Claes et al., 2018), via PubMed. Supports: body: ear canal closes.
in roosters the auditory canal closes when the beak is opened
Checked 2026-11-02. - Sound attenuation in the ear of domestic chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) as a result of beak opening, Royal Society Open Science (Claes et al., 2017), via PubMed. Supports: body: 133.5 dB near the ears.
Sound pressures levels of 133.5 dB were recorded near the ears.
Checked 2026-11-02. - How Loud Can you go? Physical and Physiological Constraints to Producing High Sound Pressures in Animal Vocalizations, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution (Jakobsen et al., 2021). Supports: dB_high: 108 dB peak at 1 m.
Gallus domesticus 108 145 Brackenbury, 1979
Checked 2026-11-02.
This page is general information, not medical advice. If you have ringing in your ears, muffled hearing or any change in your hearing, see an audiologist or your doctor.