Plans to help one of Scotland's most endangered birds have been revealed as a new survey found just over 1000 are left in the wild.

RSPB surveyors walked 1000 miles to record capercaillie numbers, with the birds found in mature pine woodlands in Aberdeenshire.

Now a programme, labelled the Cairngorms Capercaillie Project, aims to help the bird by creating bigger and better managed forest space for the animal to thrive.

Experts estimate there are 1114 capercaillies in Scotland, down from 1285 in the previous study in 2009/10.

Conservation scientists have identified the main reasons for the current status of capercaillie as relatively low levels of breeding success and an increase in deaths from collisions with deer fences.

Andy Ford is part of the project looking at numbers in the Cairngorms. He said: "People are key to securing the future of capercaillie in the National Park.

"We want to empower people to be inspired to get involved. The project implements the Cairngorms Capercaillie Framework, a blueprint for a strategic approach to saving the capercaillie from going extinct in the UK through targeting future management at a landscape scale.

"We hope to develop a programme of conservation action to support the long-term survival of the species and provide a model to save 'at risk' species in National Parks around the world."