The Diricawl (known to Muggles as the Dodo), is a plump, fluffy-feathered and flightless magicalbird, native to the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. While Muggles believe this bird to be extinct, in reality, the Diricawl has the ability to disappear and reappear elsewhere as a means of escaping danger, similar to apparation, while Muggles remain unaware. The International Confederation of Wizards has not seen fit to reveal that the animal still exists, since it seems to have raised Muggle awareness of the consequences of slaying their fellow creatures indiscriminately.[1]
A Diricawl and its babies
Behind the scenes
In the video game adaptation of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Gilderoy Lockhart uses the phrase "going the way of the dodo" to describe the impending extinction of the Giant Fire Crab. This does not make sense for a wizard to say, even one as inept as Lockhart, as they would have no reason to consider the Diricawl extinct. However, it is possible that, growing up with non-magical relatives, it was an expression commonly used by them and that it stuck as a figure of speech even if he did know that the birds were not extinct.
