26 June 2026 · By Daniel

The bird that wakes Suriname up

You don't even have to open your eyes. It's early morning in Suriname, the sun is barely up, and then you hear it. Three notes, loud and clear, as if someone is calling you personally: griet-je-bie! Heard once, never forgotten. This is the sound of Suriname. The grietjebie is no rare sighting. It sits in your back garden, on the power line in front of your house, on the neighbour's roof and in the tree beside the church. All over Suriname, from central Paramaribo to deep in the rainforest, this bird makes its presence known. Not subtly, either. It's the first bird most visitors to Suriname hear and recognise.

Who is the grietjebie?

The grietjebie, officially the Great Kiskadee, Pitangus sulphuratus, is a songbird from the tyrant flycatcher family. In Sranantongo it's also called grikibi. About 22 centimetres long, with a bright yellow belly, a brown back and a striking black band across its eyes that gives it a masked look. As if it's always up to something.

The first scientific description of the bird dates from 1648, by the German naturalist Georg Marcgrave. Its Latin name sulphuratus means, literally, sulphur-coloured, a reference to the fierce yellow of its breast.

Its Surinamese name is onomatopoeic, a word that sounds like the noise it makes. In Suriname it calls grietjebie. In Brazil they hear bem-te-vi. In Spanish-speaking countries bien-te-veo, which means "good to see you!" And in parts of the Americas its whistle is even rendered as kiss me quick.

The same bird, the same call, and every country hears something different. That probably says more about us than about the bird.

An omnivore with a big personality

The grietjebie is not a fussy eater. Insects, fruit, flowers, fish, tadpoles, all of it is welcome. It waits patiently on a branch and then takes its prey with a plunging dive. Sometimes straight out of the water, sometimes mid-air.

And then there's its character. The grietjebie is bold, loud, and fiercely defends its nest against birds far bigger than itself. Even birds of prey get attacked, dived on from above or flown at head-on. It can also imitate other birds, a talent that makes it all the more fascinating to birdwatchers and researchers.

Anyone who wants to spot birds in Suriname doesn't have to look far. The grietjebie will find you before you find it.

Is the grietjebie Suriname's national bird?

Suriname has no official national bird. But ask anyone and the answer is always the same. In 2024 Dagblad Suriname called for the grietjebie to be officially recognised as the national bird. Because no other bird is so bound up with daily life in Suriname.

Schools are named after it. There's a rice brand carrying its name. In 1966 a book even appeared, "Grietjebie, Schoonheid van Suriname", a journey along rainforests and rivers. And when a Surinamese person abroad hears those three notes, even in a video clip, it feels like home.

De Grietjebie (Pitangus sulphuratus)

Why our platform is called Grietjebie

I always wanted a bird as the name for the platform. Not just any bird, but one that embodies Suriname.

A bird that is everywhere in Suriname. That sits high in the trees and sees it all, a bird's-eye view of the country, from central Paramaribo to the deepest jungle. That finds the best of it and shares it with the world, loud and clear.

And then that yellow breast. Bright yellow, striking, unmistakable, just like the yellow star in our Surinamese flag. A star that stands for unity and hope. Every time you see a grietjebie with that yellow breast, you see a piece of our flag.

In Suriname you know the grietjebie before you see it. You hear it, you recognise it, and you know: this is Suriname. That's exactly what we want to be. The platform you hear, that you recognise, and that takes you to the best of Suriname.

That's why it's called Grietjebie.