A distant relative of pigeons, the dodo was a swan-sized columbiform bird with a massive head and a stout beak. Its wings were too short and unfit for flight.
The specimens of this bird were divided into two species: the common dodo ( Raphus cucullatus ), which lived on the island of Mauritius, and the white dodo ( Pezophaps solitaria ), which nested on the neighboring island of Reunion. The first species became extinct between 1665 and 1670, and the last white dodo died in 1761 , according to some authors. The disappearance of this wonderful bird came at the hands of hunters , who shot them down by the thousands and uncontrollably to get their precious feathers . The introduction of other birds that competed with them also contributed to their extinction.
