The typical cuckoo clocks have birds that move everytime the clock strikes. This is done through an arm that is being lifted from behind the carving. Most cuckoo clocks are programmed to play musical tunes from a musical box before the hour strikes. This type of cuckoo clocks has other automata that creates the musical tunes. Most clocks are driven by weight, they are seldom made with spring drives.

With modernity comes the change in the cuckoo clocks. There had been created clocks that imitate the billows and whistles of the cuckoos, only electronically. Mostly of these are fake quartz that runs through battery.

With the clocks’ fame, many of them have moved their ways into the homes worldwide. Many are still fashioned after the traditional cuckoo clocks but many were created with the touch of modernity. A display of these clocks is a genuine mark of Germany.