A flightless bird of Mauritius

Common name-Dodo bird.

    Scientific name-Raphus cucullatus 

Kingdom-Animalia

Phylum-Chordata

Class-Aves

Diet-Omnivore

Weight-15 to 20 kg (approx).

Height-3 feet 3 inches(1metre).

Life span-17 to 21 yrs(approx).

Habitat-Mauritius,an island and east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean .

The dodo was an extinct flightless bird of island of Mauritius (an island of the Indian Ocean).They are the relatives of pigeon and doves

These birds are first seen by Portuguese sailors about 1570. 

It has been depicted with white or green plumage ,yellow feet,a tuft of tail feathers,a grey ,naked head and black yellow ,pale-yellow or green beak,and small useless wings.

The last dodo bird was killed in 1681. Although the tale of the dodo bird's demise is well documented, no complete specimens of the bird were preserved; there are only fragments and sketches. 

The dodo had no natural enemies on Maritius.Their life was very sweet and calm until humans also discovered the Mascareness ,in the late 1500s.Despite the fact that humans were far bigger then them ,dodos were not afraid of these intruders .Fearless and flightless ,they were an easy prey and easily killed by sailors.Some dodos were killed by sailors looking for a change in diet,others by the rats,cats,pigs and monkeys the sailor brought with them. Some dodos may have gone hungry as the invaders cleared forests rich in fruits .Their extinction is likely due to complex phenomena of changing ecosystem and human behaviour.

The dodo is frequently cited as one of human-induced extinction and also serves as a symbol of obsolescence with respect to human technological progress.The dodo bird is just one of the bird species driven to extinction on Mauritius.The extinction of the dodo within less than a century of its discovery called attention to the previously unrecognised problem of human involvement in the disappearance of entire species.