Dodo Bird Length
The dodo or Raphus cucullatus is an extinct flightless bird that was native to the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius, which is located east of Madagascar. The dodo was a large, flightless, ungainly sitting duck.
The dodos were unable to survive due to over-harvesting of the birds, habitat degradation, and losing competition with newly imported species. The last dodo was slain in 1681, and the species was annihilated.
The Dodo birds were large birds with approximately a length of about 1 meter (3 ft 3 in) tall.
Dodo Bird | Centimeter | Meter | Feet |
Length | 100 cm | 1 m | 3 ft 3 in |
Dodo Bird Weight
Usually, birds are lightweight in terms of body mass and large in terms of length so that they can easily fly and glide through areas with greater speed.
However, in the case of the Dodo bird, they have large body mass as they are flightless. That means the Dodos are usually settled on the ground and do not really fly for hunting or other activities.
Dodos were large and massive birds with great weight. Moreover, scientists have observed that the dodo was a strong, powerful bird with substantial leg bones and a big pelvis.
The average weight of the Dodo bird could go up to 10.6–17.5 kg (23–39 lb), with an average weight of 14kg (30 lb). Overall, they are huge!
Dodo Bird | Kilograms | Pounds |
Weight | 10.6–17.5 kg | 23–39 lb |
Dodo Bird Wingspan
You’re probably aware that the Dodo was a flightless bird. The dodo’s huge size and incapacity to fly were adaptations that allowed it to withstand some of the worst environmental and climatic circumstances possible.
Dodos developed to grow greater in size and weight without the need for flying to avoid predators, eradicating the capacity to fly.
Moreover, the Dodo had short wings and a small sternum as they were adapted to be on the ground and did not really utilize their wings. In fact, their wings were just a means of maintaining balance.
The wingspan of the Dodo birds was nearly around 2 feet, which is quite small compared to the flying birds. Also, the high ratio of the weight and the wingspan would make it more difficult for them to try flying.
Dodo Bird Egg Size
Talking about the nesting and eggs of the Dodo birds, they only lay one egg at a time. Dodos used to construct their nests on the ground, as opposed to most other birds, who make their nests in trees.
This was primarily due to their inability to fly and the fact that their nests anyways did not need to be safeguarded in trees because of no natural predators.
According to some research, scientists have suggested that the incubation period of these birds was around 37 days and their breeding period starts from the month of August.
The Dodos laid a single white egg at a time, which was about 130 x 80 mm, it was the size of a halfpenny roll. The average size of the Dodo’s eggs was around 21 centimeters (9 inches), which is quite large.
Dodo Bird | Centimeter | Inches |
Egg size | 21 cm | 9 in |
Dodo Bird Beak Size
Dodos possessed a characteristic beak that was said to be light yellow or green in terms of color.
The beaks were quite hefty and curved and were probably the dodo’s only significant defense option.
The beaks of the Dodo bird were capable of delivering a rather nasty bite to its prey or any other predator. The bill or beak size of the Dodo bird is about 23 cm (9 inches).
Dodo Bird Population Size
The Dodo Birds were extinct long back in the year 1681, but yet it’s surprising and shocking to know that still some of these species are preserved. However, those who are alive are not at all safe and in the proper healthy condition.
Only 21 of the 45 bird species discovered in Mauritius have survived. Moreover, there has been some research saying that there were allegedly just 13 specimens remaining, all of which were thought to be around 300 years old.
Dodo Bird Size Compared To Humans
One of the reasons for the extinction of these large Dodo birds was human activities and threats. Due to the large growth of the human population and so high environmental pollution, these birds slowly started losing their habitat.
During the limited encounter between the two species, dodos functioned mostly as food. People on Mauritius’s islands and adjacent towns relied on Dodo birds to meet their dietary needs.
However, even though humans were larger species than the Dodo birds, these birds were not afraid of intruders in their habitat. The average length of the Dodo was 1 meter (3 ft 3 in) tall, which is smaller than the average size of humans of about 5.5 to 5.9 feet.
Also, in terms of weight humans outweigh the size of Dodos with a body mass of 60 to 80 kg (132-176 lb) whereas the Dodos have a body mass of 10.6–17.5 kg (23-38 lb).
Species | Length | Weight |
Dodo Bird | 3 ft 3 in | 10.6–17.5 kg (23-38 lb) |
Humans | 5.5 to 5.8 feet | 60 to 80 kg (132-176 lb) |
Dodo Bird Vs Ostrich
Ostriches like the Dodo bird are flightless bird species. Also, the Ostrich is the largest and heaviest bird alive till now in the world.
Female ostriches may grow to be six feet tall and weigh more than 200 pounds, while male Ostriches can grow to be nine feet tall and 280 pounds.
Common ostriches typically weigh between 63 and 145 kilograms (139-320 lb), or the equivalent of one to two mature people.
Male and female ostriches have varying heights due to gender dimorphism; males have a height of 2.1 – 2.8 m, while females have a height of 1.7 – 2 m.
In comparison to the ostrich, the Dodo birds are very small in terms of both height and weight.
Species | Length | Weight |
Dodo Bird | 3 ft 3 in | 10.6–17.5 kg |
Ostrich | 5 to 9.2 ft | 63 and 145 kg |
Dodo Bird Vs Shoebill Stork
The shoebill stork is visually terrifying, like a cross between a dinosaur and a Jim Henson puppet. Shoebills are in their own family, yet they were originally categorized as storks since they share certain characteristics with storks and herons.
Shoebills have huge bodies and are considered tough birds. Furthermore, the shoebill is a very tall bird with long spindly legs.
While standing on two legs, an adult shoebill stork can reach a height of around 4-5 feet, making it one of the world’s tallest birds other than the ostrich.
The average length of the Shoebill Stork is between 100 to 140 cm (39 to 55 in) and has an average weight of about 4 to 7 kg (8.8 to 15.4 lb). On the other hand, the Dodo has a length and weight of 1 meter (3 ft 3 in) and 10.6–17.5 kg (23–39 lb) respectively.
Species | Length | Weight |
Dodo Bird | 3 ft 3 in | 10.6–17.5 kg (23–39 lb) |
Shoebill Stork | 3.2 ft to 4.6 ft | 4 to 7 kg (8.8 to 15.4 lb) |
The Shoebill stork is larger than the Dodo bird in terms of length but is smaller in terms of weight.
Toucan Vs Dodo Bird
The family of toucan Ramphastidae birds is the common name for a group of tropical American forest birds notable for their huge, brightly colored bills. The largest and most well-known toucan species lives in South America’s tropical woods.
Compared to other bird types, the Toucan birds are comparatively small and weigh very less. The average size of these birds in terms of length is 61 cm and has an average weight of about 620 grams (1.3 lb). These are small and very light.
Species | Length | Weight |
Dodo Bird | 3 ft 3 in | 10.6–17.5 kg (23–39 lb) |
Toucan | 2ft | 620 g (1.3 lb) |
In comparison to the Dodo Bird, the Toucan are very small. They both beside each other would look exactly the same as how the dodo would look in front of a giant ostrich.
Conclusion
That was everything you need to know about the Dodo bird. I hope this article was informative enough and you got something useful from it.
Thank You For Reading!
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