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What is the proper name for a Piet-my-vrou?
The red-chested cuckoo (Cuculus solitarius) is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It is a medium-sized bird found in Africa south of the Sahara. In Afrikaans, it is known as “Piet-my-vrou”, after its call.
Where does the name Piet-my-vrou come from?
Origin. Mid 19th century from South African Dutch piet-myn-vrouw, literally ‘Pete my wife’, imitative of the bird’s three-note call.
What does a Piet-my-vrou eat?
Hairy caterpillars are a favoured food item favoured by most cuckoos, although they eat other insects as well, and the Piet-my-vrou’s diet also includes centipedes, snails, small frogs and lizards, berries and the eggs of hosts.
Is cuckoo black?
This large cuckoo has two morphs: (1) entirely black except for white tips to the long tail and sometimes limited white barring elsewhere, and (2) dark-backed with a rufous chest and black-and-white-barred underparts. The latter are more frequently found in West Central Africa.
What is the Rain bird in South Africa?
| Burchell’s coucal | |
|---|---|
| Family: | Cuculidae |
| Genus: | Centropus |
| Species: | C. burchellii |
| Binomial name |
Where does the Piet-my-VROU go in the winter?
Cuckoos generally have barred plumage under their tails; have rather loud monotonous calls that may continue for some time, sometimes rather irritatingly at night or early morning; they are migrants arriving here in spring, to breed during summer, leaving again in autumn to spend winter in tropical Africa.
Is a Piet-my-vrou nocturnal?
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”.
Where does the Piet-my-vrou go in the winter?
Who is called cuckoo of India?
Who is known as the ‘Cuckoo of India’? Sarojini Naidu.
What noise does a female cuckoo make?
Voice. The female has a rich bubbling chuckle, but the male’s call is the very familiar “cuckoo”. Generally, if you hear a Cuckoo singing you will probably not see it until it stops singing, which is when it flies away from its song post.
What is the name of Rain bird?
any of several birds, especially the black-billed cuckoo (Coccyzus erythropthalmus) and the yellow-billed cuckoo (C. americanus), that are said to call frequently before a rainstorm.
Which bird calls the rain?
Burchell’s Coucal
The Burchell’s Coucal (Centropus burchellii) or rain bird is said to declare the approach of an imminent rain shower.