When did the dodo bird become extinct?

The last confirmed sighting of a dodo bird occurred in 1662 on the small island of Mauritus. Unconfirmed sightings persisted until the 1690s, but most experts agree the bird species was fully extinct by 1700.

The dodo birds were medium-sized flightless birds confined to a handful of small islands in the Indian Ocean. Early Dutch settlers to the islands hunted them for food, and many of the animals the humans brought with them, such as dogs and cats, preyed upon them as well. As the dodo birds had no natural predators, they were not equipped to deal with the humans and their pets. The demise of the dodo bird is recognized as the earliest confirmed act of human-induced extinction of an animal species.