Joe Parkin Daniels in Bogotá

The song of the black catbird – with its flute-like chirps and screeching single-note squalls – was once heard across Guatemala, Belize and southern Mexico until large-scale farms began to destroy its habitat.

Now, thanks to a collective of musicians, producers and DJs, the tiny bird’s song – and that of nine other endangered species from the region – could be heard on dancefloors around the world, with proceeds going to conserving the endangered birds.

A Guide to the Birdsong of Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean is a 10-track record that samples recordings of endangered, vulnerable or near threatened birds from across the region, with each track composed by artists from the same country.

“The main impulse here is conservation but of course there’s an artistic challenge too,” said Robin Perkins, 33, a record producer from Manchester who leads the project.

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The black catbird’s song was worked on by the Belizean group the Garifuna Collective, led by another keen birder-cum-musician, Al Ovando. “My concept was to pay homage to many of the birds that have disappeared and to call for these birds to be protected,” the 44-year-old songwriter said. “I wanted to honour the birds of Belize, and the black catbird has this amazing one-note call.”