Each species has its own mini-chapter and the book will be broken down into key groups of species, with the five most amazing tales of island endemics, five most bizarre cases of a bird becoming threatened, and so on.

This will be an accessible, readable and visually appealing take on a serious subject of threatened birds and possible extinctions - a topic that is constantly in the news due to increasing concerns over climate change and habitat destruction.

The atlas format shows the global nature of the problem and brings together the many strands of the concerted bird conservation effort that is taking place on every continent. It also lends and element of accessibility to the reader as many of the species featured can be watched on birding tours these days.

The book is published in association with BirdLife International, which is the world's largest global alliance of bird conservation organisations. Its aims are to conserve wild birds, their habitats and global biodiversity.