Dodos and Solitaires: Raphidae

Dodos and solitaires were about 40 inches (100 centimeters) long and probably weighed between 24 and 40 pounds (10.5 to 17.5 kilograms). However there are some accounts of birds that may have weighed as much as 50 pounds (22.5 kilograms). Dodos were heavily built, with tiny, non-functional wings, strong legs and feet, and a large, strong hooked bill. Dodos had bare faces without feathers. The rest of the body was covered by bluish or brownish gray feathers. Rodrigues solitaires were somewhat taller and more slender than the dodo. Their heads and bills were smaller. They were brownish in color. Males were significantly larger than females. Very little is known of the physical appearance of the third species in the family, the Réunion solitaire. In fact, accounts are so vague that it is not certain they describe a member of this family at all.