New Yorkers were treated to a spectacular site on one of their iconic Manhattan landmarks Saturday night.

Large full-colour images of endangered animals were projected on to the south side of the Empire State Building.

In a first of its kind live video event, crowds watched giant images of endangered animals including birds, bears, tigers and even Cecil the lion, the animal killed by a Minnesota dentist in an illegal hunt in Zimbabwe.

The specracular Saturday night display was designed to get people talking abous mass extinctions.

Many on hand took photos and videos of the colourful and unusual display.