It's not an usual sight to see a cuckoo clock in someone's home, but even if you visually miss the clock, you'll most likely hear when the clock strikes a new hour.

A cuckoo clock is generally a wound clock that marks the striking of an hour with a sound resembling the call of a Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus), a European bird. Most cuckoo clocks are pendulum clocks and are in the shape either of a chalet or a birdhouse, but can be found in other designs such as a simple round face or an outdoors scene. Most cuckoo clocks also feature a small mechanical bird that pops out of a door as the clock strikes the hour.

Cuckoo Clocks are Fun and Functional

It might not seem so, but an authentic cuckoo clock would be at home in a variety of decors, from modern and contemporary to old world and classic. Many collectors keep a special wall just for their cuckoo clocks, and as for the most avid collectors, they will often have an entire room dedicated to their clocks.

Clocks are fun decor items because they are useful and purposeful but can be quite decorative as well. With it unusual shape and function, a cuckoo clock perfectly fits this definition. Although thought of as something you might likely find in grandma's house, there are a wide variety of cuckoo clocks available today.

Cuckoo clocks originated in in Germany and Austria, and cuckoo clocks from Germany's Black Forest are highly sought after as these are seen as being of the highest quality. But there are a variety of authentic and replica cuckoo clocks that do the job and have interesting designs as well.

You can purchase a cuckoo clock with varying degrees of owner involvement. A 1-day cuckoo clock requires winding once a day, while an 8-day clock will require it only once a week.

If you can find a special clock collector shop, you can purchase any kind of cuckoo clock your time-loving heart might desire. Looking for an 8-day cuckoo clock with a chalet theme? No problem. There are many to choose from. A 1-day cuckoo clock with a hunter's theme? They've got that, too. Antique stores will often have a cuckoo clock stashed away somewhere in their treasure trove, too. It just takes a little looking around.

Who knows, you might get bit by the cuckoo bug and go cuckoo for cuckoo clocks, too.

Photo by iamaruntimeerror, Creative Commons Attribution License