Descriptions of your flavour,

Emerged before bones were favoured.

Wood carvings of hunting your kin,

Before paintings of plumage and skin.

Considered a myth so long ago,

Even as a few were sent as cargo.

London, Amsterdam, even Japan.

Forced away at humanity’s plan.

Nowadays seen as dim and slow,

For not running from human foe.

Conflicting descriptions in paint and sketch,

Size? Weight? Colour? Guessed at a stretch.

Specimens kept and stuffed with fillers.

Last sightings written about by your killers.

(I learned about this animal briefly at school, and after a Wikipedia dive found out a lot more 💛)