The story of the dodo is a classic of evolution and extinction to equal in fascination that of the dinosaur or the saber-toothed tiger. Unlike these, however, the dodo was the first recorded example of an extinction that was, in all probability, entirely caused by humans.

Humankind coexisted with the dodo between 1598 and 1681, and then the dodo was gone, hunted to extinction, unable to escape the new predators that arrived in ships on the isolated island later known as Mauritius. The giant pigeon for this was what the dodo was evolved from pigeon ancestors that had populated the island millions of years before, in the Pleistocene period, when Mauritius was far adrift of where it lies today.

The pigeons colonized an island paradise, abundant with food; free of any terrestrial mammalian predators, over millions of years they lost their instinct for danger.

They also lost the ability to fly, and grew bulky with sturdy running legs. For the 17th-century sailors who arrived and settled on the island, they were easy to kill and as tasty as the turtles they also caught and ate. The sailors introduced domestic animals and rats, as well, competitors for the dodos habitat.

So much about the dodo is unknown and will never be known, and yet, the dodo engenders much speculation. The Dodo: Extinction in Paradise explores the science and the mythology, the history, archaeology, and legend, as well as the dodos place in art and literature.

Errol Fuller is a world-renowned authority on extinct birds and the author of many books concerned with extinction and conservation, including The Lost Birds of Paradise.