NelspruitPiet-my-Vrou – Nelspruit https://showme.co.za/nelspruit Nelspruit, South Africa for all your local and tourism information; from accommodation to events, entertainment, attractions and news - ShowMe Nelspruit | T Feed Tue, 26 Mar 2024 08:45:05 +0000 hourly 1 https://showme.co.za/nelspruit/?p=2374 Piet-my-Vrou https://showme.co.za/nelspruit/lifestyle/nature-outdoors/piet-my-vrou/ Wed, 30 Nov 2011 10:04:07 +0000 Probably the sound best identified by most Lowvelders at this time of the year is "weet, weet wheeo" or in Afrikaans, Piet-my-Vrou]]> Red-chested Cuckoo

At the moment, from before the sun rises until after it sets and again at any time in the night we are bombarded with the call of the Red-chested Cuckoo, more commonly known as the “Piet-my-Vrou”. We have all gone outside to look for the bird making that noise, many with something to throw in one hand, most with very little success. But if you knew a little more about the Piet-my-Vrou it will not be as annoying.

Red-chested CuckooThe Red-chested Cuckoo is a migrant to South Africa. The Zulus call it Uphezukomkhono which means “on the arm”, they call it this because it arrives in South Africa in October, and its first calls in the season mean it is time to put your hoe on your arm and start preparing your fields because the first rains are on its way. It leaves again at the end of summer, in February.

It generally lives in forests, closed woodland, open savanna thickets, stands of trees in human settlements, mature gardens, parks, and the tree next to your bedroom window.

Some books describe the male’s call as “weet-weet-weeoo”, but for most South Africans it is best described by its Afrikaans name, “Piet-my-Vrou”, a phrase perfectly matching its three-toned call.

Red-chested Cuckoo JuvenileAn interesting fact about the Piet-my-Vrou is that it is a parasitic breeder, laying a single egg in the nests of other birds. It does this in less than five seconds, the egg incubates quicker than those of the host and consequently hatches earlier so the hatchling is able to kick the other eggs out of the nest and become the sole occupant which the host then raises as its own. Preferred hosts include robin-chats, chats, thrushes, and flycatchers. Females have been recorded laying up to 20 eggs in one season.

We are now in the middle of the Piet-my-Vrou’s breeding season so we will be hearing its voice for a while longer. Early in the New Year, it will change its tune, the notes becoming drawn out, less distinctive. By the end of February, the bird will have returned to central Africa and we can all return to our normal sleeping patterns.

Listen to the sound HERE

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