The Endangered and the Extinct Nov. 2013 | Page 28

Dodo Birds

A flightless bird that once inhabited on the island of Mauritius, near Madagascar.

The dodo birds became extinct in the 17th century.

The first dodo bird seen and recorded was in 1598. These birds were hunted to feed the sailors.

The dodo birds' nearest living relative are the Nicobar pigeons.

No one knows how the dodo bird exactly looked like. They could only rely on the bones and research to estimate how the birds looked like.

Background Information

In 1662, the last dodo bird was seen and it was later confirmed that it extincted. 24 years before it's extinction it was extreamly rare and unseen. Although the dodo bird died decades ago, scientists made a shocking discovery in 2007. They found a preserved dodo bird fossil, which led to a lot of media coverage, and led to more understanding and interest on the dodo birds.

The dodo birds are around 1m tall and 10-18kg.

Its diet was generally fruits, nuts and other sorts of seeds.

Dodo birds had grey feathers and with a patch of white on the tail.

A dodo bird’s wings were not suitable for flying because they were too small and weak.

One of the most distinguishing features of the dodo birds is it’s beak. The long hooked beak which is light green or pale yellow and can be used for defending their young when needed.

Characteristics

When were we aware of this?