pecking order

pecking order

a natural hierarchy in a group of gregarious birds, such as domestic fowl

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

pecking order

[′pek·iŋ ‚ȯr·dər]

(psychology)

A social hierarchy of prestige, dominance, or authority.

(vertebrate zoology)

A hierarchy of social dominance within a flock of poultry where each bird is allowed to peck another lower in the scale and must submit to pecking by one of higher rank.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.