The dodo bird lived only on the island of Mauritius , in the Indian Ocean, about 500 miles (roughly 800 km) east of Madagascar.

It was a forest-dwelling bird, mainly inhabiting the wooded, drier coastal areas and lowland forests of Mauritius rather than open beaches. This very limited range—one isolated island—made the dodo especially vulnerable to habitat destruction, hunting, and introduced animals once humans arrived, which is a big reason it is now extinct.