To determine whether crowing by subordinate males is repressed by the presence of dominant birds, White Leghorn cockerels were individually isolated for 20 days, grouped together for 14 days, and then isolated again. The number of crows emitted by a bird was essentially the same during both isolation periods. In the grouped situation, however, the amount of crowing by the subordinate birds was markedly reduced. In another group of birds, where the dominance order was manipulated either by physical removal of the alpha individual or by naturally occurring reversals in the flock, the incidences of crowing rose proportionately as birds ascended to higher rank positions.