The dodo bird, often depicted as a slow, chubby creature doomed to extinction, has long been misunderstood. However, new research published in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society challenges these misconceptions, revealing the dodo as a giant, ground-dwelling pigeon that was both strong and fast. This study, conducted by researchers from the University of Southampton, the Natural History Museum (NHM), and the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, represents the most comprehensive review of the dodo’s taxonomy and its closest relative, the Rodrigues solitaire.
The researchers meticulously analyzed 400 years of scientific literature and examined collections across the UK to ensure that these iconic species, which symbolize the destructive potential of humanity, are correctly classified. According to Dr. Neil Gostling of the University of Southampton, who supervised the study, the dodo was the first living being recorded as present and then disappeared, marking a pivotal moment in human understanding of our impact on nature. Before this, it was not thought that humans could influence ‘God’s creation’ in such a way, Gostling notes.
The dodo and the solitaire vanished before the advent of modern scientific principles and systems used to classify species. Much of what was written about them relied on Dutch sailors’ accounts, artists’ depictions, and incomplete remains. The lack of a definitive reference point (type specimens) or a standardized naming convention led to numerous misidentifications in the centuries following their extinction. As a result, imaginary species like the Nazareno dodo, the white dodo, and the white solitaire were named, but the study confirms that these creatures never existed.
By the 18th and early 19th centuries, the dodo and the solitaire were regarded as mythical beasts, according to Dr. Mark Young, the study’s lead author. It was the painstaking work of Victorian-era scientists that eventually demonstrated that the dodo and the solitaire were not mythological but were, in fact, giant ground pigeons. However, even then, there was disagreement about how many species had existed. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, researchers believed there were three different species, with some even speculating about four or five.
To resolve this confusion, the research team reviewed all literature on the dodo and the Rodrigues solitaire, covering hundreds of accounts dating back to 1598. They also visited specimens across the UK, including the only surviving soft tissue of the dodo at the Oxford Museum.
Dr. Julian Hume, a bird paleontologist at the Natural History Museum and co-author of the paper, emphasizes that although more has been written about the dodo than any other bird, almost nothing is known about its life. The study aims to correct this record, making it clear that the dodo and the solitaire were both members of the Columbidae family (pigeons and doves).
The popular image of the dodo as a fat, slow animal destined for extinction is inaccurate. The few surviving written accounts describe the dodo as a fast-moving bird that loved the forest. Bone evidence suggests that the dodo’s tendons, which closed its toes, were exceptionally powerful, akin to those of modern climbing and running birds. These findings indicate that the dodo was almost certainly an active and fast-moving creature, perfectly adapted to its environment.
Unfortunately, the islands where these birds lived lacked mammalian predators, so when humans arrived with rats, cats, and pigs, the dodo and the solitaire stood no chance. Understanding their broader relationships with other pigeons is taxonomically important, but from a conservation perspective, the loss of the dodo and the solitaire represents the disappearance of a unique branch of the pigeon family tree.
The research marks the beginning of a broader project to understand the biology of these iconic animals. By reconstructing how the dodo lived and moved, scientists hope to learn valuable lessons that could help protect today’s endangered bird species. The study is a testament to the fusion of science and art, bringing these long-extinct creatures back to life in a way that is both real and tangible.
SOURCES
Mark T Young, Julian P Hume, et al., The systematics and nomenclature of the Dodo and the Solitaire (Aves: Columbidae), and an overview of columbid family-group nomina, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, Volume 201, Issue 4, August 2024, zlae086, doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae086
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