Dodo

The dodo was a flightless bird that lived only on Mauritius, a tropical island in the Indian Ocean. It waddled around like a giant pigeon, unable to fly away when humans arrived. Its closest living cousin today is the colorful Nicobar pigeon.

• Belonged to the same bird family as pigeons and doves.
• Had a relative called the Rodrigues solitaire, also extinct.
• Early explorers mistook white ibises for 'white dodos' on Réunion island.