About the dodo.
When we think of extinct birds, the dodo comes to our mind. This bird lived on a beautiful island called Mauritius. The dodo couldn’t fly, but it was big and weighed about as much as a dog!
It had a long, curved beak and tiny wings that didn’t help it fly. Its feathers were blue-grey, and it had strong yellow legs.
Extinction of the dodo.
Long ago, around 1507, Portuguese sailors spotted the dodo birds. They used the dodos for food! Europeans ate the dodo eggs and ruined their nests when they arrived on the island. They even cut down forests, which were the dodos’ homes.
Invasive species, like rats, came with the settlers and caused more trouble for the dodos. By 1681, these amazing birds were gone forever.
The dodos grew big and couldn’t fly well without any predators on the island. They also became too trusting of humans, which led to their downfall.
For many years, people thought dodos were clumsy and slow, but researchers now say that isn’t true. The bird is a live example of a species becoming extinct due to humans and how humans can affect nature.
Research finds something else.
A group of researchers in England looked at old studies about the dodo bird and found some cool things! They said the dodo wasn’t dumb or slow like many people thought. Instead, it might have been strong and quick, happily living in the forests of Mauritius.
The researchers also shared that the dodo went extinct because people didn’t pay attention to their actions. When people came to the island, they hunted the dodos without thinking about how it could make them disappear forever.
But here’s the exciting part: while the dodo remains extinct, scientists are trying to bring the dodo back!
We must care for other species.
The dodo bird teaches us something very important: we need to care for all the animals and birds on our planet! If we work together, we can help prevent more animals from disappearing forever. Together, we can help our animal friends live safely and happily!
