Watch the birdie - but be quick

LIKE the parrot in the sketch, these are dead birds. Expired. They are no more. But it's not funny.

Ghosts of Gone Birds is an art exhibition that might be too much for you if you are an ornithobic.

In fact, it might be too much for you if you like birds. Or if you are aware of the threat of extinction that faces birds. Either way, it is guaranteed to make you think of all of the above on larger scale.

Did you know that a century ago, only one species of bird was threatened with extinction? Thanks to man's intervention, that figure iss now over 1200.

This travelling, multi-media show gathers wings in Liverpool before it mobilises a creative army for conservation around the country.

But it is a fleeting flight. You can only catch it at the Liverpool School of Art and Design this Thursday and Friday (May 19^th-20^th).

There will be a Ghosts Gallery Space featuring new work by Ralph Steadman, Sir Peter Blake, Rob Ryan, Billy Childish, Desmond Morris, Pete Fowler, Charming Baker, Kai and Sunny, Rebecca Jewell, Olly and Suzi, Dafila Scott and Jamie Hewlett – and more. Eighty in total.

Each one of them has adopted an extinct species and breathed life back into it through their creative talents. Paintings, sketches, sculptures, woodcuts, poems and installation pieces all dedicated to resurrecting such lost creatures as the Red Moustached Fruit Dove, the Mysterious Starling and Reunion Owl.

Did you know that a century ago, only one species of bird was threatened with extinction? Thanks to man's intervention, that figure iss now over 1200.

There will also be talks by artists, writers and scientists. On Friday, xisitors can also enjoy live performance of new music. Curator Ceri Levy was cagey about this at first. It’s someone connected to a band with a bird name, he told Liverpool Confidential a couple of weeks ago.

Hmm. Lieutenant Pigeon? No. Turns out it’s Jimi Goodwin of Doves.

The Ghosts of Gone Birds project will also introduce viewers to the work being done by BirdLife International and the RSPB to stop any more species joining the ranks of the extinct and will  help raise funds for the frontline conservation projects being carried out by both organisations around the world.

*Ghosts of Gone, Liverpool School of Art and Design, Duckinfield (ho ho) Steet (Off Brownlow Hill), Liverpool, L3 5RD, NOW. (Thurs/Fri 19/20 May). 10am-6pm.