Dodo (Raphus cucullatus)  

The dodo, possibly the most famous extinct bird in the world, was native to the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. Dodos were closely related to modern doves and pigeons. It is thought that the ancestors of dodos were flying birds that arrived on the island. However, there were no land predators on Mauritius and over many generations, dodos became larger and heavier birds that lost their ancestors’ ability to fly.

In the 1600s, sailors crossing the Indian Ocean discovered the flightless birds. The origin of the name “dodo” is debatable, but may be related to the Portuguese word for “fool” or “sluggard” because the birds showed no fear of humans. It may also be an interpretation of the dodo’s call, a pigeon-like “doo-doo.” Weighing nearly 50 pounds, dodos may have been occasionally taken to feed hungry sailors, but reportedly tasted very bad. The cause of their extinction was probably the other domestic animals that sailors introduced to the island.

Sailors brought cats, rats, pigs, dogs, and crab-eating macaques to the island over the years. These introduced species would have been devastating to a bird that was adapted to a life without predators. Due to minor hunting by humans, major predation by introduced animals, and natural deaths due to flash floods and other disasters, the dodo was likely extinct by 1700.