Was the Dodo Bird Really a Dodo?

First, a little background on these odd birds. The dodo was endemic only to Mauritius, an island east of Madagascar. Based on fossil remains, the dodo was slightly over 3 feet tall, and may have weighed up to 39 pounds. Regardless of their exact height or weight, we are sure they were far from small birds. It’s questionable what the exact appearance of the dodo was — only some illustrations we have today were verifiably based on live specimens. However, based on these illustrations as well as preserved remains, we know that the dodo had a naked, vulture-like face and brownish-grey plumage. The dodo had also evolved to be flightless — the island of Mauritius had abundant food sources and virtually no predators, so there was little use for flight in such a large, powerful bird. The dodo was also a member of Columbidae — the pigeon family. The dodo shared many structural similarities with other pigeons, along with a large crop (a pigeon characteristic) and the use of gizzard stones to grind up food. <a href="https://tenderly.medium.com/was-the-dodo-bird-really-a-dodo-5bf43c988c4a">Read More</a>