Analysis of 400 years of scientific literature corrects dodo extinction record

Researchers are trying to challenge our misconceptions about the dodo, one of the best-known but least-understood bird species.

In an article titled “Systematics and nomenclature of the Dodo and Solitaire (Aves: Columbidae), and an overview of the names of columbidae family groups,” published on August 16, 2024 in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society Researchers from the University of Southampton, the Natural History Museum (NHM) and the University of Oxford Natural History Museum have undertaken the most comprehensive review of the taxonomy of the Dodo and its closest relative, the Rodriguez Island Solitaire.

They painstakingly studied 400 years of scientific literature and visited collections across the UK to ensure this iconic species, embodying humanity’s destructive potential, was correctly classified.

“The dodo is the first living thing to be recorded and then extinct,” said Dr Neil Gostling of the University of Southampton, lead author of the study. “Before that, it would never have been thought possible that humans could influence God’s creation in this way.”

“This was a time when the scientific principles and systems we rely on to label and classify species did not yet exist. The Dodo and the Solitaire were both extinct before we had a chance to understand what we were observing.”

Correction of the facts

Much of what has been written about the Dodo and the Solitaire has been based on accounts by Dutch sailors, artists’ depictions and incomplete remains.

The lack of a definitive reference point (type specimen) or a convention for labeling species (zoological nomenclature) led to a series of misidentifications in the centuries since their extinction. New species such as the Nazarene dodo, the white dodo, and the white recluse have been named, but the paper confirms that none of these creatures existed. Yet these erroneous “pebbles” have made waves in the waters of zoological literature.

“In the 18th and early 19th centuries, the dodo and the solitaire were considered mythological animals,” said Dr Mark Young, lead author of the study from the University of Southampton. “It was thanks to the hard work of Victorian scientists that the dodo and solitaire were not mythological animals but giant land doves.”

“Unfortunately, no one has been able to agree on how many species there were,” Dr. Young continues. “For most of the 19th and 20th centuries, researchers thought there were three different species, although some thought there were four or even five.”

To clear up this confusion, the researchers combed through the entire literature on the Dodo and Rodriguez’s Solitaire, encompassing hundreds of accounts dating back to 1598, and visited specimens across the UK, including the world’s only Dodo soft tissue, at the Oxford Museum.

“More has been written about the dodo than any other bird, yet virtually nothing is known about it in life,” says Dr Julian Hume, an avian palaeontologist at the Natural History Museum and co-author of the study.

“After centuries of confusion over nomenclature, and some 400 years after their extinction, the dodo and the solitaire continue to spark heated debate. We’ve taken the early reports, seen how they’ve evolved, and identified several ways to correct the record, as best we can.”

Thanks to this work, the researchers were able to confirm that the two birds were members of the Columbidae family (pigeon and dove).

“It is important to understand the wider relationships between these birds and other pigeons, but from a conservation perspective, the disappearance of the dodo and the solitaire a few decades later means that a unique branch of the pigeon family tree has been lost,” says Dr Gostling. “There are no other birds alive today like these two species of giant ground doves.”

Challenging our misconceptions

Researchers say the popular idea that the dodo is a fat, slow animal destined for extinction is wrong.

“Even four centuries later, we still have much to learn about these remarkable birds,” says Dr Young. “Was the dodo really the slow, stupid animal we have been led to believe? The few written accounts of the living dodo indicate that it was a fast animal that loved the forest.”

Dr Gostling added: “Evidence from bone samples suggests that the dodo’s tendon that closed its toes was exceptionally strong, similar to climbing and running birds alive today. The dodo was almost certainly a very active and fast animal.

“These creatures were perfectly adapted to their environment, but the islands they lived on lacked mammalian predators. So when humans arrived, bringing with them rats, cats and pigs, the dodo and the solitaire didn’t stand a chance.

“Dodos play a vital role in their ecosystems. If we understand them, we may be able to help restore Mauritius’ ecosystem, and perhaps begin to repair the damage caused by the arrival of humans nearly half a millennium ago.”

Learning “valuable lessons”

This study marks the beginning of a larger project aimed at understanding the biology of these iconic animals.

“The mystery of the Dodo bird is about to be solved,” said Dr Markus Heller, professor of biomechanics at the University of Southampton and co-author of the study.

“We’ve assembled a fantastic team of scientists to uncover the true nature of this famous extinct bird. But we’re not just going back in time: our research could also help save today’s endangered birds.”

Dr Heller explains: “Using cutting-edge computer technology, we are reconstructing how the dodo lived and moved. This is not just about satisfying our curiosity. By understanding how birds evolved in the past, we are learning valuable lessons that could help protect today’s bird species.”

“It’s like solving a 300-year-old puzzle, and the solution could help us prevent more birds from suffering the same fate as the dodo.”

The project will include work with paleoartist Karen Fawcett, who has created a detailed, life-size model of the Dodo to bring words to life on the pages of books and magazine articles.

She says: “This work is a fusion of science and art to achieve accuracy and realism so that these creatures come back from the dead, real and tangible so that people can touch and see them.”

Director of the University of Southampton’s Institute of Life Sciences, Professor Max Crispin, said: “The Institute was delighted to support this exciting work which illustrates Southampton’s strength in interdisciplinary and advanced research.”