How Did Birds Like The Dodo And The Great Auk Become Extinct?

Animals and birds become extinct mainly due to over-hunting, loss of habitat and induced factors like alien species and pollution. The Dodo and the Great Auk were large flightless birds; the Dodo was found mainly on the island of Mauritius while the Great Auks also known as the garefowls were aquatic birds found on the coasts of Iceland, Greenland, Canada and Norway.

Both species are famous extinct birds and have become extinct mainly due to over-hunting. Being flightless these birds became easy prey for hunters for their meat and in the case of the dodo had to compete with alien species like dogs, pigs and monkeys that pillaged its nest, introduced on the islands by humans when the Portuguese first visited the island in the sixteenth century. The last confirmed sighting of the Dodo is reported to be 1681 while the Great Auks have been reported to be extinct since 1844. Today a number of other animals and birds are on the verge of extinction and many projects like sponsor animal are helping in the conservation of endangered species and in spreading awareness of the importance of all organisms in the proper and harmonious functioning of the eco system.   

Dodo birds are different from other birds