The Dodo Was Extinct Before Anyone Drew It From Life
The dodo was a flightless bird of Mauritius. It vanished so fast that almost no reliable record survives.
The dodo was a large flightless bird of Mauritius, extinct by the late 1600s. It disappeared within a century of Europeans reaching the island, and so quickly that no complete specimen survives and the familiar plump image may be based on overfed captive birds. Its closest living relative is the Nicobar pigeon. The name probably comes from Portuguese *doudo*, meaning simple or foolish, because the birds had no fear of humans, having evolved without predators.
- An extinct flightless bird. *The dodo.*
- A stupid person (informal). *A dodo.*
- Dead as a dodo — utterly finished. *Dead as a dodo.*
- Mauritius — its only home. *Mauritius.*
- Portuguese — *doudo*, foolish. *A likely source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | dodo | A dodo. |
| Plural | dodos | Dodos. |
| Idiom | dead as a dodo | Dead as a dodo. |
| Relative | Nicobar pigeon | Its closest relative. |
| Portuguese | doudo | Foolish. |
- The dodo lived only on Mauritius.Bird.
- That idea is dead as a dodo.Idiom.
- It is related to pigeons.Fact.
What we do not know about the dodo
- No complete specimen survives anywhere
- The plump image may come from overfed captive birds
- Contemporary drawings disagree with each other sharply
- Its exact extinction date is unknown, somewhere in the late 1600s
- Its nearest living relative is a pigeon, confirmed by DNA
Probably from Portuguese *doudo*, simple or foolish, recorded in English from the 1620s.
Why was the dodo called foolish?
It had evolved with no predators and showed no fear of humans, which sailors mistook for stupidity.
What is the dodo's closest living relative?
The Nicobar pigeon. DNA analysis places the dodo firmly within the pigeon family.