![]() This suggestion was actually put forth by Sir Thomas Herbert, an Englishman who was the first person to write the word, “Dodo,” in 1643, so this one is potentially the most likely explanation. The most common belief is that it comes from the Portuguese word, “doudo,” which loosely translates to simple or foolish. These wading birds have short feathers on their hind end and are a little clumsy like the Dodo, so this is a possibility.įurthermore, in David Quammen’s book, “Song of the Dodo,” the author proposes that the term Dodo came about because of the bird’s call, which was a pigeon-like sound that sounded like “doo-doo.” The Dutch discovered the Dodo, and one theory is that Dodo comes from the word, “dodaars,” which is the name of a Dutch bird called the Dabchick or Little Grebe. There are several theories about how the Dodo got its name, but no one knows for certain. It’s believed that Dodos became flightless because their ancestors had no predators and access to plenty of food, so they had no reason to leave the island. They were flightless, but they did have tiny wings and stocky yellow legs, and their tail was made up of white curly feathers. They had blue-gray or brownish feathers, with a large head and a 9-inch-long blackish bill with a reddish hooked tip. These birds were about 3 feet tall and weighed about 50 pounds. Now, while pigeons might be related, there truly has never been and probably never will be a bird quite like the Dodo. These three species are related to pigeons, and the closest living genetic relative of the Dodo is considered to be the Nicobar Pigeon, which has a “Near Threatened” status. The Réunion is thought to have been a white version of the Dodo. There was also the Réunion solitaire from the island of Réunion that was a relative to the other solitaire and the Dodo but also was extinct by 1746. They are thought to have been brownish in color and were taller and slimmer than the Dodo, with a shorter beak and smaller head. But as of 1790, this large bird is also extinct. They were flightless birds whose closest relative was the Rodrigues solitaire from the island of Rodrigues, also in the Indian Ocean. The Dodo ( Raphus cucullatus) came from the island of Mauritius, which is located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar and off the southeast coast of Africa. ![]() There’s even the well-known saying, “go the way of the Dodo,” which essentially refers to someone or something that will become outdated or obsolete.īut what exactly happened to Dodo birds? How did they become extinct, and when? We answer these questions and others that you might have about the unfortunate Dodo. The Dodo bird is likely one of the most famous extinct animals.
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