 Little is known of the behaviour of the dodo , as most contemporary descriptions are very brief . Based on weight estimates , it has been suggested the male could reach the age of 21 , and the female 17 . Studies of the cantilever strength of its leg bones indicate that it could run quite fast . The legs were robust and strong to support the bulk of the bird , and also made it agile and manoeuvrable in the dense , pre @-@ human landscape . Though the wings were small , muscle insertions show that they may have been used for display behaviour and balance , and were therefore not completely vestigial . Unlike the Rodrigues solitaire , there is no evidence that the dodo used its wings in intraspecific combat . Though some dodo bones have been found with healed fractures , it had weak pectoral muscles and more reduced wings in comparison . The dodo may instead have used its large , hooked beak in territorial disputes . Since Mauritius receives more rainfall and has less seasonal variation than Rodrigues , which would have affected the availability of resources on the island , the dodo would have less reason to evolve aggressive territorial behaviour . The Rodrigues solitaire was therefore probably the more aggressive of the two . 
