PECKING ORDER


Meaning of PECKING ORDER in English

Basic pattern of social organization within a flock of poultry in which each bird pecks another lower in the scale without fear of retaliation and submits to pecking by one of higher rank.

For groups of mammals (e.g., baboon , wolf ) or other birds, the term "dominance hierarchy" is usually used, and the ranking often involves feeding or mating.

Britannica Concise Encyclopedia.      Краткая энциклопедия Британика.