The painted specimen is believed to have been white due to albinism. However, Valledor de Lozoya proposed that the light plumage might be a juvenile characteristic, a result of old taxidermy specimens fading, or simply artistic interpretation.

In 1987, scientists identified fossils of a recently extinct ibis species from Réunion, named Borbonibis latipes, before linking it to the reports of the solitaire. Cheke suggested to one of the authors, Francois Moutou, that these fossils might represent the Réunion solitaire, a theory that was published in 1995. The ibis was later reclassified under the genus Threskiornis, taking on the specific epithet solitarius from R. solitarius. Birds in this genus are also white and black with slender beaks, aligning with historical descriptions of the Réunion solitaire. However, no fossil remains of dodo-like birds have been discovered on the islands.@DODO $DODO #DODOEmpowersMemeIssuance