Ralph Steadman's birds on the edge of extinction – in pictures

As the planet hurtles towards environmental disaster, the world’s birds are the canaries in the coal mine, with one in eight species threatened by extinction. But it’s not too late to save them. Ralph Steadman has painted portraits of birds living on the edge of oblivion, as well as mixing in some avian inventions from his own imagination. From the California Condor to the ‘Ooshut Doorbang’, Steadman’s co-author Ceri Levy introduces us to a few ‘nextinct’ birds

• Buy Nextinction by Ralph Steadman and Ceri Levy at the Guardian bookshop
• An exhibition looking back at over 50 years of fine art prints by Ralph Steadman is at Lazarides Editions from 17 July – 13 August