Two that you might be particularly interested in:
Ottorino Respighi: (1) "Gli Uccelli"(The Birds) - based on Baroque pieces imitating birds(straight out of "Dictionary.com").
(2) "The Pines of Rome": this composition does not have the word "bird" in its title; but in the third secion - "I pini del Gianicolo"(whatever that means), a real, live bird(s) sound recording is scored(a nightingale): Toscanini made a recording of this great work, which if I'm not mistaken, is still available.
Others:
Saint-Saens: "The Swan"; "The Coo Coo"(Carnival of the Animals).
Jean Sibelius: "The Swan of Tuonela".
Tchaikovsky: "Swan Lake" ballet: "Mother Goose" dance from "The Nutcracker" ballet.
About all that I can thing of; but here's further "tid bits" which might be of interest to you.
Richard Wagner made great use of and is famous for his development of the "leitmotif": a specific musical device(melody, rhythm, etc.)associated with a particular character, idea, action, etc..
In his opera "Lohengrin", the hero enters and exits in a skiff drawn by a swan, which has its own "leitmotif", and is referred to as the "swan song". You've heard the expression, "it was their swan song", when referring to a performer's final public appearance?
Another expression attributed(if I'm not mistaken) to Wagner, because of its role in one of his operas, "Siegfried": "a little bird(ie)told me" - relates to a forest bird who befriends the hero. A long story, which I want get into here.
Alberich
