It was endemic there, as was its cousin the solitary drontium (Pezophaps solitaria) from the neighboring island of Rodrigues (it became extinct around 1790). The dodo was a large bird of the pigeon family (Columbidae), a subfamily of the didines, the frugivores (Raphinae).
The closest living relative of the dodo, and the only living representative of the genus Caloenas, is the Nicobar pigeon (Caleoenas nicobarica), also known as the common Nicobaric or Nicobaric pigeon. Found in Southeast Asia, it avoids human-inhabited areas and is most often found on small islands and in the coastal zone of larger landmasses.
