Most definitely, because he’s the first to claim his hunting territory, says ornithologist Jim Wilson, who teaches biology at William Woods University, in Fulton, Missouri. In fact, not only does he get the worm, he gets the girl too, says Wilson. “You know the birds you hear outside your window singing as the sun’s coming up? Usually it’s the males, and they’re doing it to mark off their territory. That serves two purposes: To say to other males, ‘Hey, check out my territory. Stay out of it, and don’t hunt bugs and worms on it,’ and to say to the female birds, ‘Hey, check out my territory — come into it, please.’”

The early-bird theory is true for people, too, says time-management expert Julie Morgenstern, author of Making Work Work (Simon & Schuster, $22, available at www.amazon.com). “Getting an early start affects the whole psychology of your day. If you start the day feeling behind and rushed, you’re at a disadvantage and won’t be as effective.”

But relax — if you’re not a morning person, you don’t have to force yourself to wake up with the rooster. “The point is, you simply need to wake up on what you consider the early side, so that you have enough time to begin your day without feeling frazzled,” Morgenstern says. Of course, for night owls who like to sleep till 11, that might mean doing things the night before.