About the Dodo
The dodo is an extinct flightless bird that was endemic to Mauritius, an island east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. The dodo's closest relative was the also-extinct and flightless Rodrigues solitaire. The two formed the subtribe Raphina, a clade of extinct flightless birds that are a part of the group that includes pigeons and doves. The closest living relative of the dodo is the Nicobar pigeon. A white dodo was once thought to have existed on the nearby island of Réunion, but it is now believed that this assumption was merely confusion based on the also-extinct Réunion ibis and paintings of white dodos.
Source: Wikipedia
Taxonomy & Classification
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Aves |
| Order | Columbiformes |
| Family | Pigeons and Doves (Columbidae) |
| Species | Raphus cucullatus |
| Species Codes | dodo1, DODO |
Frequently Asked Questions
What family does the Dodo belong to?
The Dodo (Raphus cucullatus) belongs to the Pigeons and Doves family (Columbidae), in the order Columbiformes.
How can I identify the Dodo?
The dodo is an extinct flightless bird that was endemic to Mauritius, an island east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. The dodo's closest relative was the also-extinct and flightless Rodrigues solitaire. The two formed the subtribe Raphina, a clade of extinct flightless birds that are a part of the...
Where can I report a Dodo sighting?
You can log sightings of Dodo on eBird (ebird.org) using species code dodo1, or on iNaturalist.