Dodo Bird: How It Lived, When It Went Extinct and Why

Introduction

The dodo bird (Raphus cucullatus) is one of history's greatest paradoxes. It has been extinct for over three centuries, yet it has never really been out of our imagination. When Dutch sailors arrived on the island of Mauritius in 1598, they discovered a fat, flightless bird. The birds showed little fear of humans, likely because they had no natural predators— a phenomenon known as island tameness. That same fearlessness would eventually lead to its demise, because within decades, the dodo was extinct. 

Today, we only know about these birds from their remains. Either from bones in museums, drawings created by early visitors, or phrases like "as dead as a dodo." In this article, we will explore what the dodo bird was, how it lived, and why it became extinct.

What Is a Dodo Bird?

Scientifically, the dodo was named Raphus cucullatus and placed in the family of pigeons and doves, called Columbidae. That may be hard to imagine when you picture their bulky body and hooked beaks. However, bone studies and later DNA research confirmed the connection. Naturalists argued over their identity for centuries; some thought they were ostriches. In contrast, others compared them to vultures or rails. It was not until the 1800s that scientists settled the dispute at last. They concluded that the dodo is essentially a giant pigeon that had adapted to its island environment. Its closest extinct relative was the Rodrigues solitaire, while its closest living relative is the Nicobar pigeon, a slim, multicoloured pigeon still found in Southeast Asia, as reported by UCSC’s Paleogenomics Lab.

The name “dodo” has an interesting origin, even. Dutch sailors first called them "Walghvoghel," or "disgusting bird." This was probably in reference to their taste, rather than how they looked. They had other names: "dronte," for swollen; "dodaars," for the tuft of feathers on its backside. The English settled on "dodo," which is thought by some to come from the Portuguese word "doudo," meaning fool, although its exact etymology is not fully certain. This could be a result of its trusting nature. Or maybe from the soft, pigeon-like "doo-doo" sounds they made.

Side-by-side images of the extinct dodo and the Nicobar pigeon — highlighting their evolutionary relationship within the Columbidae family.

Image Source:

1. Dodo photo by Bernd 📷 Dittrich on Unsplash
2. Nicobar pigeon photo by rohitnaniwadekar, via  Wikimedia Commons, licensed under  CC BY 4.0.

Appearance and Anatomy

The dodo was not a giant monster bird. In fact, it was about 62 to 75 centimetres tall and may have weighed between 10 and 17.5 kilograms in the wild. The male was slightly bigger, and birds kept in captivity tended to get significantly heavier, which is why so many old paintings had them looking puffy and round.

Its most distinctive trait was the long, curved beak, which was colored green, yellow, and black. This powerful tool was used to crack open hard fruits and seeds. They were paired with a robust skull to withstand the pressure. The feathers were described as greyish-brown with paler-colored wing feathers, based on contemporary accounts and illustrations. Also, a tuft of curly white feathers adorned its rump. Powerful yellow legs with black claws held it firmly in the island forests.

The skeleton reveals more. Its flightless, tiny wings were strong enough to keep it balanced. In contrast, its chest bones were smaller than a flying pigeon's. Its legs were thick and powerful, allowing quick movement despite its weight. Gizzard stones found with dodo remains suggest it relied on them to break hard food.

In the end, the dodo was neither awkward nor foolish. It was simply a pigeon that had grown large, lost its wings, and thrived in a world without predators.

 Photo by J. Erxleben and C. L. Griesbach, via Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain.

Mauritius: The Dodo’s Island Home

In order to understand the dodo, you must first imagine its home, Mauritius. Remote in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, Mauritius had once been a volcanic nursery of life. It was once cut off from the rest of the world for millions of years. That isolation meant something strange in nature. There were no land mammals, no large predators, and no need for birds to spend valuable energy on flight.

Here in this peaceful haven, the dodo gradually lost its wings and became a confident ground bird. Mighty legs took the place of soaring flight. This enabled them to wander about the island's coastal forests, lowland swamps, and ebony woods. Fruits and seeds were plenteous, so existence required strength more than quickness. Having no natural predators to worry about, the dodo became fearless, approaching newcomers without hesitation.

Behavior and Diet

The dodo’s life revolved around food and survival in Mauritian forests. The bird survived on dropped fruits such as tambalacoque (the so-called "dodo tree"), nuts, roots, and palm seeds. Its heavy beak cracked these fruits. Even sailors claimed that the birds dined on shellfish by the seashore. However, fruits and seeds were the bulk of their diet. The dodo ingested gizzard stones that acted like natural grinders within their stomach.

When food was abundant, dodos likely stuffed themselves, storing fat reserves to see them through leaner times. This pattern also explains why some early portraits of the bird depicted it as plump. They were often based on overfed captives, which exaggerated their actual wild shape.

Breeding was simple, too, as there were no predators on the island; the dodo bred on the ground. They typically laid just one large egg per annum. In reality, the dodo was neither clumsy nor reckless. Its own actions were sensible for an island utopia: they were lazy, and extremely sensitive to resources present.

First Human Interactions

The dodo was first recorded by humans when Dutch mariners on a journey arrived at Mauritius in 1598. They were working for Admiral Wybrand van Warwijck. After months at sea, the men were shocked to find a bird with no fear. To starving sailors, this was a blesséd gift. They cooked and roasted the birds. However, they soon complained that the meat was oily and stringy compared to the pigs and goats they preferred. Frustration turned to ridicule, and it became known as “Walghvoghel,” meaning "repulsive bird." 

Nevertheless, the novelty of the bird created interest. Dodos were captured alive and shipped abroad to end up as exotic London, Amsterdam, and even Indian and Japanese trophies. Artists added to their puffed-up shapes. In contrast, collectors displayed bones and mounted cadavers in cabinets.

Why Did the Dodo Bird Go Extinct?

The extinction of the dodo was not due to one factor alone. Sailors killed the birds because they were easy game, their naivety leaving them defenseless. Most records, however, agree that the flesh was tough and unpalatable to consume. So, individual hunting alone can't explain how quickly the species became extinct.

Additional harm resulted from domesticated animals that people had brought. Rats, which had escaped on ships, raided the ground nests. They ended up consuming the only eggs that female dodos laid annually. Pigs and monkeys destroyed the undergrowth, eating both eggs and chicks. Even dogs and cats added further damage. With such a slow reproduction rate, even small losses were disastrous.

Meanwhile, the forests were logged for timber and farming, stripping the dodo of its food sources. Cyclones and flooding, which had been previously survivable, now hit a population already weakened by human activities. Within roughly a century after it was first encountered by Europeans, the dodo disappeared from reliable records. The last widely accepted sighting was in 1662, though statistical estimates suggest it may have persisted until around 1690.

Who Killed the Last Dodo Bird?

The final widely accepted sighting of this bird was in 1662. Volkert Evertsz, a Dutch sailor shipwrecked off the coast of Mauritius, referred to odd, heavy birds that matched the dodo’s appearance. He and his crew captured some, noting that they were tame. From this point, the bird disappeared from reputable reports. Later reports of "dodos" in the 1670s and 1680s likely confused them with the red rail. This was another flightless bird found on Mauritius that hung on a little longer. 

Who actually killed the last dodo, then? That's the part history won't disclose. Perhaps it was meat-crazed sailors, though they mostly thought dodo meat was tough and not very tasty. Maybe it’s the rats that ate the solitary egg a female laid each year. Others suggest the bird at the Oxford Museum might have been one of the last ones. Rather than a dramatic finale, the dodo's demise was a gradual vanishing.

Cultural Significance of the Dodo

The dodo is not only a bird that became extinct; it's a cultural symbol. Its extinction set it apart as one of the earliest species driven out of existence by human activity. To this day, when someone describes something as "as dead as a dodo," they're saying it's gone forever. The phrase has become so widespread. Many people are unaware that they are referring to a bird from the island of Mauritius.

The dodo's fame also extends to literature and art. Perhaps one of the longest-standing uses is in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865). Here, the Dodo helps host the famous Caucus Race. Carroll’s own stammer is written into the novel, introducing himself as "Do-do-Dodgson." This humble literary cameo made the dodo a symbol of fantasy and extinction. 

On the island of Mauritius, however, the dodo is taken seriously and is a source of pride. It appears on the national coat of arms and currency, and widely in tourism, stamps, and branding. From being mockingly called stupid and clumsy, the dodo has evolved into a global cautionary tale. Species are not invincible, and once they "go the way of the dodo," there is no turning back.

Conclusion

The dodo's tenure on this planet was brief, but its legacy has spread far beyond the island of Mauritius. The bird lasted for just one century after human contact. That was before they fell victim to hunting, habitat destruction, and invasive species. Its extinction was among the first clearly linked to human action. This change has forced us to reflect on the power we hold over nature. 

The dodo wasn’t the only giant bird to vanish because of human activity. The story of the elephant bird reveals another island giant’s fate—showing how isolation and human interference together shaped extinction stories across the Indian Ocean.

Image by Juergen Striewski from Pixabay

FAQs About the Dodo Bird

What precisely was the dodo bird, and how is it connected to contemporary species?

The dodo (Raphus cucullatus) was a giant flightless bird of Mauritius. DNA analysis suggests that they were a giant ground pigeon. Their closest living relative was the Nicobar pigeon.

How did the dodo lose the ability to fly?

On Mauritius, there were no mammalian predators. With food on the ground and little danger, the dodo's ancestors just got bigger and gave up flying. They instead used their strong legs.

What did the dodo bird eat?

Historical accounts and bone studies tell us they ate fruits, nuts, seeds, roots, and perhaps tiny shellfish. They also swallowed gizzard stones to break up tough food, similar to some pigeons today.

How did the dodo bird die out?

Humans hunted them. However, their extinction was hastened by the introduction of new animals to the island. Storms and tree-cutting worsened the situation. By the late 1600s, the dodo was extinct.

When was the last dodo bird seen?

The last confirmed sighting of a dodo was in 1662 by Dutch sailor Volkert Evertsz, though some estimates, using statistical methods, place the actual extinction of the species around 1690. The dodo was first encountered by sailors in 1598 on the island of Mauritius and rapidly declined due to hunting and the introduction of invasive species like pigs, rats, and cats, which ate their eggs and destroyed their habitat.

Are dodo birds 100% extinct?

Yes, dodo birds are 100% extinct, officially listed as such by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). The species, which was endemic to Mauritius, vanished by the late 17th century due to human activity, including overhunting and the introduction of invasive species like pigs and rats that preyed on dodo eggs.

Why is the dodo so famous?

The dodo is famous because it was one of the first well-documented examples of human-caused extinction, its unique appearance made it a symbol of the fragility of island ecosystems, and a reminder of humanity's environmental impact. Its fame also grew through its inclusion in popular culture, most notably Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and the common idiom "as dead as a dodo," which immortalizes the bird's sudden and complete disappearance.