The work was premiered by Yvonne Loriod on 15 April 1959 in Paris, Salle Gaveau, for the concerts of the "Domaine musical" organized by Pierre Boulez.

For these pieces, Messiaen did not want to be limited to the evocation of the bird of which each of it bears the title.

Each piece is written in honor of a French province. It bears the title of the bird-type of the chosen region. It is not alone: its habitat neighbors surround it and also sing (...) - its landscape, the hours of day and night that change this landscape, are also present, with their colors, their temperatures, the magic of their perfumes

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• 1 - The Alpine chough (Chocard des Alpes)

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• 2 - The Eurasian golden oriole (Loriot d'Europe)

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• 3 - The blue rock thrush (Merle bleu)

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• 4 - The western black-eared wheatear (Traquet stapazin)

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• 5 - The tawny owl (Chouette hulotte)

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• 6 - The woodlark (Alouette lulu)

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• 7 - The Eurasian reed warbler (Rousserolle effarvatte)

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• 8 - The greater short-toed lark (Alouette calandrelle)

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• 9 - The Cetti's warbler (Bouscarle de Cetti)

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• 10 - The common rock thrush (Merle de roche)

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• 11 - The common buzzard (Buse variable)

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• 12 - The black wheatear (Traquet rieur)

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• 13 - The Eurasian curlew (Courlis cendré)

• Yvonne Loriod: Erato Records 2292-45505-2/VI; ECD 71590 (1970-1973)
• Peter Hill: Regis B000Q7RKW8 (1986)
• Anatol Ugorski: Deutsche Grammophon 4743452 (1994)
• Hakon Austbo: Naxos Records 8.553532.34 (1997), Also includes Petites esquisses d'oiseaux (composed in 1985).
• Paul Kim: Centaur Records CRC 2567/68/69 (2001), Also includes La Fauvette des jardins and Petites esquisses d'oiseaux
• Roger Muraro: Accord 4657682 (2002)
• Pierre-Laurent Aimard: Pentatone PTC 5186670 (2018)
• Carl-Axel Dominique BIS BIS-CD-594/596 Also includes "La Fauvette des jardins" and "Petites esquisses d'oiseaux".

List of compositions by Olivier Messiaen

• Catalogue d'oiseaux in Les Inrockuptibles
• Three tracks on Gallica
• Catalogue d'oiseaux on Naxos
• Messiaen Catalogue d'oiseaux on Gramophone
• Olivier Messiaen, Catalogue d'oiseaux (in 7 books), for piano, I/42 (1956-1958) (Håkon Austbø, piano) on YouTube
  • First Book
    • I. Le chocard des alpes (The Alpine chough)
    • II. Le loriot (The Eurasian golden oriole)
    • III. Le merle bleu (The Blue rock thrush)
  • Second Book
    • IV. Le traquet stapazin (The Black-eared wheatear)
  • Third Book
    • V.-VI. La chouette hulotte & L'alouette-lulu (The Tawny owl & The Woodlark)
  • Fourth Book
    • VII. Le rousserolle effarvatte part 1 (The Eurasian reed warbler)
    • VII. Le rousserolle effarvatte part 2
  • Fifth Book
    • VIII. L'alouette calandrelle (The Greater short-toed lark)
    • IX. La bouscarle (The Cetti's warbler)
  • Sixth Book
    • X. Le merle de roche part 1 (The Common rock thrush)
    • X. Le merle de roche part 2
  • Seventh Book
    • XI. La buse variable (The Common buzzard)
    • XII. La traquet rieur (The Black wheatear)
    • XIII. Le courlis cendré (The Eurasian curlew)