Quelle est Belle Six Nests Bird Call Set, Manipulate

Six songs of the European countryside, waiting in a wooden box. The blackbird, the house sparrow, the moorhen, the redshank, the song thrush, and the starling, each with its own hand-turned call, and each call in its own small wooden case with the bird's portrait on the lid and its name and instructions tucked inside.

What sets the Manipule set apart is in its name: these six calls are played entirely by hand. Press, strike, and turn, no blowing required, which makes this the set for younger birders, for classrooms where instruments are shared, and for anyone who wants to call birds with a child rather than for one. A turn of the wrist and the thrush answers from the hedgerow. It takes practice, which is rather the point.

Each call is handcrafted by Quelle est Belle Compagnie, a family workshop in the Drôme region of France that has spent decades perfecting the art of imitating birdsong in wood and rubber. Their motto: "To better understand nature in order to better protect it."

• Includes: Six hand-operated bird calls in a wooden display box
• Birds: blackbird, house sparrow, moorhen, redshank, song thrush, starling
• Operation: press, strike, and turn, no blowing
• Each call in its own wooden case with bird portrait and instructions
• Ages: 3 and up (contains small parts, not for under 3)
• Handmade in France