The Black Forest Cuckoo Bird The cuckoo bird, while being one of the most well known birds is, in truth, far less common to see in the wild than what it's reputation would have you believe. It is a shy bird, much more often heard than seen, which makes it an excellent candidate for a cuckoo clock since it can hide behind it's door for at least 59 minutes of every hour! With species found all around the world, the cuckoo bird - and star of the show in all traditional and modern cuckoo clocks - has a distinct call (or song) which makes it one of the most recognisable bird calls in the world. Traditional Cuckoo Clock Chime This call is replicated in all traditional 1-day and 8-day movement cuckoo clocks, with a series of paper bellows which, when the mechanism strikes the hour, are move like an accordion, to create the distinct bird call sound. Modern Cuckoo Clock Chime In modern battery powered (quartz) cuckoo clocks the sound is generally a recorded bird sound over the sound of a babbling brook, which while more realistic, some may argue does not have the same distinct charm of the traditional cuckoo clock chime. Listen below and you can be see which you prefer: Listen to the real cuckoo bird call in the wild: Your browser does not support the audio element. And here is the mechanical sound from a 1-day or 8-day cuckoo clock: Your browser does not support the audio element. And then the sound from a battery powered (quartz) cuckoo clock: Your browser does not support the audio element. The design of the cuckoo bird changes from manufacturer to manufacturer. At Cuckoo Collections we stock a range of modern and traditional cuckoo clocks - all of which have a distinct cuckoo bird either made of wood or die-cast plastic. Many of the traditional cuckoo birds are hand-painted in an assembly line fashion with the job of 'cuckoo bird painter' going to a specific artist.