Dodo Bird Symbolism & Meaning

Are you looking to learn more about the world? Having problems with people taking advantage of you? Dodo Bird, as a Spirit, Totem, and Power Animal, can help! Dodo teaches you how to examine all things with an insatiable curiosity, all while encouraging you to consider with care who to trust. Delve deeply in Dodo Bird symbolism and meaning to find out how this Animal Spirit Guide can encourage, enlighten, and empower you.

Dodo Bird Table of Contents

• Dodo Bird Symbolism & Meaning
• Spirit Animal
• Totem Animal
• Power Animal
• Dodo Bird Dreams
• Far Eastern Symbolism
• Back to all Birds
• Back to all Spirit Animal Meanings

Dodo Bird Symbolism & Meaning

The Dodo is an extinct bird without wings who lived on an island just East of Madagascar. But a blip on the map, Mauritius became the center of environmental education for humankind as explorers and traders wiped out such a rare creature in under 100 years. Dodo was a vegetarian, eating mostly fruits, nuts, bulbs, and roots, as if already aware of it would have a role in history in showing how unregulated human interaction contributes to the disappearance of harmless creatures in the world. The phrase, “Going the way of the Dodo” illustrates the harsh reality of the loss of this incredible species, implying something extinct or obsolete.

Despite the Dodo’s sad fate, it has many other lessons humans can learn through observation of how the creature once lived. It is still an active Animal Spirit Guide that connects with people energetically.

People once thought the Dodo was clumsy and awkward because of its plump shape and inability to take flight. Instead, the Dodo admirably adapted to its environment. It did not need to fly because of abundant food and the lack of nearby predators. Pictures of Dodos portray them with brownish skin, yellow feet, a bald head, and a beak with yellow and black coloration. The brown and black hues correspond to the Earth Element while the yellow links the Animal Ally to the Air Element.

Writings from the late 1500s describe the Dodo as a sweet, innocent, child-like creature. Sailors interpreted the Bird’s unusual behavior as stupidity. The Dutch called the Dodo “Walghvogel,” meaning, “insipid or dodoor (sluggard).” Meanwhile, the name “Dodo” comes from a Portuguese term meaning “simpleton” or “a fool.” Studies of the Dodo Birds remains, however, tell another story entirely. Here, Dodos come to represent misunderstandings, superficial encounters, close-mindedness, the power of first impression, curiosity, and wonder.

It seems Dodo suffered from misrepresentation. The Dodo head and intelligence were like a Pigeon’s, which may well be a distant cousin of Dodo. The Dodo, however, had a better sense of smell. To frame the comparison: Pigeon is one of the most intelligent Birds in the world, being able to recognize itself in the mirror! So, what the sailors took as simplicity in the Dodo was a curiosity in an animal that had no reason, upon first encountering humans, to fear something new in the environment. Dodo comes to represent openness, acceptance, and inquisitiveness.

The only feathers appearing on the Dodo are on its back end: A radiant plume of white, as if to suggest the Divine at its back. As more people arrived at the Island, they brought Dogs and Pigs ashore, many of which would either trample or eat the single egg laid by female Dodos. Even with the support of Spirit, the creature could not fend off the strain placed on its species. Dodo was a foundational animal, spreading seeds from the Calvaria Tree. So, as the Dodo slowly disappeared, so too did the Calvaria. Dodo embodies the lesson of living in balance with nature and the repercussions when an imbalance prevails.

Dodo Bird Spirit Animal

As a Spirit Animal, the Dodo has a unique role in teaching you about the environment, both the beauty and harshness that surrounds. If you struggle to fit in somewhere or feel someone is stomping on your figurative territory, Dodo arrives to help you reclaim your domain.

Dodo learned the lesson of trust by earning it the hard way; the creature arrives with an urgent message based on this understanding. Dodo says, “Do not give your love or trust without serious consideration.” Some may consider your conservative approach an insult, and their outlook acts as a huge warning sign. But people who are good for you are also the ones who show patience when developing relationships.

Another message from Dodo is, “Stop down-playing your attributes, particularly your intelligence.” Dodo, as a Spirit Animal, finds a keen mind attractive and recognizes when people hide their brilliance. Trust in the friends, family, and tribe around you to accept who you are and listen to your ideas.

When working with the Dodo Spirit Animal as your aid, you may develop Clairalience: The psychic gift of clear smelling. Here, your nose knows! A scent in the air sends your psychic awareness into overdrive; you’ll know when something is afoot long before others around you even have a clue that something is in the air.

Dodo Bird Totem Animal

People with a Dodo Totem Animal have a sweet innocence about them. They will stop and smell tiny flowers or watch the clouds drift by all with an ever-watchful eye on everything of beauty. The Dodo Totem illustrates itself in playfulness, creativity, and a Shamanic-like awareness of nature and its wonders.

If Dodo is your Birth Totem, you may be a perpetual student because education centers you. You have a strong spiritual side; it maintains your connection to your Higher Self.
When Dodo is your Animal Totem, one thing which may trip you up is moments where you believe what people say is always honest. You want to be kind and do the right thing, so you give others the benefit of the doubt. Often, doing so leads to disappointments. Thankfully, your upbeat demeanor means you rebound quickly, but Dodo urges you, “Don’t be so quick to trust.”

With Dodo Energy vibrating in your every cell, you may find your thirst for travel and experiencing new things is nearly unquenchable. A distant land calls to you as does anything exotic. You make new friends quickly along the way, finding common interests.

Career-wise, you want a job with wiggle room. Your nature prefers to play more so than work. Realistically, you are smart enough to succeed at anything, but if the position has too many constraints, you’re not “a happy bird.”

Dodo Bird Power Animal

Call on Dodo as a Power Animal when you feel you’ve lost your innocence. Dodo supports you when everything around you seems corrupt, dark, and dangerous. The creature’s optimism is contagious.

Dodo Power Animals help you in exploring your inner space and awaken your inner child. When you need to play a little more, awaken Dodo. The Bird will come to you, encouraging you to join it in a joyous dance.

Beyond this, the Dodo resonates with people who are trying to get a point across, especially when it seems no one understands. Dodo says, “Don’t give up! The Dodo Power Animal guides you to the language of the heart and spirit to which others can relate.

Invoke your Dodo Power Animal when you want to avoid becoming a victim of your circumstances. You have the power to change your destiny. As a creature having learned from its own experience, Dodo Wisdom and Medicine does not allow for exploitation to befall you.

Dodo Bird Dreams

Seeing the Dodo in your dream symbolizes endings, often when you have been trying to overcome a bad habit or turn away from an unhealthy situation. If the Dodo represents a person in your life, it implies the individual has little common sense or you’re underestimating someone.

A Dodo moving toward you as if attempting closer observation is an emblem of recovery. You will experience a windfall soon. If the Dodo in your dream moves away from you, it’s time for adventure.

A group of Dodo birds in your dream implies becoming active in a group, often of a metaphysical nature, where you grow and learn in wonderful ways. You may move into a leadership position because people respect you.

Far Eastern Dodo Bird Symbolic Meanings

Little appears in Far Eastern writings about the Dodo except for a cargo note in 1647. A live Dodo appears in a shipment to Deshima, Japan, keeping company with a White Deer and a bezoar stone. The manifest designated them as “unappraised” cargo with the other inventory on hand. More than likely, they intended the Dodo as a gift to some noble, perhaps the Shogun himself.

Dodo-Bird Symbolic Meanings Key

• Adaptation
• Beauty
• Biodiversity
• Curiosity
• Endings
• Innocence
• Intelligence
• Shamanism
• Trust
• Wisdom