Details
Raphus cucullatus
Dodo is a large flightless pigeon from Mauritius that became extinct after human arrival. Hunting, introduced mammals, and island habitat change combined to eliminate it by the late 1600s.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It lived in forests, coastal woodland, and lowlands on Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. Main habitat types in this guide are forest, coast.
Typical height 90-100 cm, weight 10 kg-17 kg. It had a large head, heavy bill, stout body, and short wings unsuited for flight.
It is diurnal and often found in loose groups. It walked while feeding on the ground and likely formed loose groups in island woodland.
It is herbivorous. Fruit, seeds, nuts, and fallen plant material were probably important foods.
It probably nested on or near the ground and raised a small number of young.
It is extinct, so ecology is reconstructed from specimens and historical records. Hunting, introduced mammals, and island habitat change combined to eliminate it by the late 1600s.
