With a new generation of Pokemon finally on the horizon, players are already speculating what new Pokemon will be added. Plenty of Pokemon can fall into specific categories, and the designers always look to fulfill these categories in a way unique to each region.

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One such category is the Regional Bird. This Pokemon is typically found on Route 1, or equivalent in a region, starting as something small and cute and eventually evolving into something large and cool. These birds often have very streamlined designs and don't overcomplicate themselves like other bird Pokemon often can.

Updated July 24, 2023 by Ben Painter: With the release of Pokemon Scarlet & Violet came with new creatures for gamers to catch, collect and battle with. In every new generation there are always set rules on the types of Pokemon, lower level bug-types, powerful psuedo-legandaries and of course in this case the regional bird Pokemon.

Most of the time these Pokemon have been regular normal/flying types but in recent games GameFreak have pushed the boat out and gave players some fascinating bird mon's. This list adds the latest entry into the franchise and compares them to the other regional bird Pokemon.

9 Pidove/Tranquill/Unfezant

For the urban setting of Unova, a common pigeon was a great choice to base the bird on. The problem is not much is done to get any interest out of the design. Pidove looks fine, but it does nothing to stand out in a crowd of its contemporaries, and Tranquill is much the same.

Gray, white and black can be a good color palette, and other regional birds use it to great effect, but this design falls short. Unfezant has two forms, one of which looks quite good, the other of which looks as dull as the rest. Male Unfezant adds some nice color and extra elements to the design that turns it into an appealing Pokemon. The female form, however, adds virtually nothing of note.

8 Hoothoot/Noctowl

Only a two-phase evolution, Noctowl has plenty to love in its design. That said, when compared to most other regional birds, it fades into the background a bit and looks rather boring. When taken in a bubble, it adapts an owl into a great Pokemon, adding just enough elements to feel far away from the real animal.

Unlike most other regional birds, however, it's not the kind of team member players can take all the way to the end of the game. Partly because there are better Flying-type alternatives, but also because its movepool is pitiful. Other birds had some staying power and are perfect for single-player runs, but not Noctowl.

7 Pikipek/Trumbeak/Toucannon

The Alola region's bird feels distinctly different from all the others, which has its ups and downs. For a tropical region like Alola, using a unique bird-like a Toucan was an inspired choice. The only problem is that the transformation into a full Toucan comes a little out of nowhere.

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Pikipek nails the cute factor, and Trumbeak is a good iteration on its design, but Toucannon feels like too much of a leap. It feels like there should be another stage in the middle. That said, in a bubble, there is plenty of love about Toucannon's design, and it's dripping with character.

6 Pidgey/Pidgeotto/Pidgeot

Earning bonus nostalgia points for being a classic design, Pidgeot is a solid template that all the future regional birds worked from. While it doesn't reach super far-out, it doesn't need to, and the design is still brimming with appeal.

Brown doesn't seem like the best color, but the different shades are mixed well, and the later evolutions bring in some red and yellow highlights to stop it from getting boring. What's amazing is that all these years later, it still feels like a unique bird design. It may be a template, but nothing has outright copied it years later.

5 Taillow/Swellow

Swallows are beautiful birds in real life, and Swellow is a fantastic adaptation of them into a Pokemon. Swellow has a nice clean simplicity to its design that makes it feel so streamlined and appealing to look at. Where Pidove uses simple grays, Taillow and Swellow instead use simple blues and reds to create something that immediately grabs the eye.

Despite having a very simple shape, little highlights are scattered here and there to make it stand out as more than just any old bird. The forked tail of a swallow becomes an intimidating flourish on Swellow's design, and the sharpness of the face brings it all together wonderfully.

4 Wattrel/Kilowattrel

Following the trend that Corviknight and Talonflame had, Wattrel and Kilowattrel are not normal/flying but electric/flying, adding a very interesting dynamic to team and helping this one stand out. Its design is spotless, not over done but really nice and gamers can tell that this Pokemon is an electric type.

Kilowattrel has the stats to back it up as well with a terrifying 105 special attack and 125 speed, a powerful Electro Ball (which does more damage the faster the user is compared to the target) will decimate opponents with ease.

3 Starly/Staravia/Staraptor

Staraptor shows how gray can be used effectively on a bird Pokemon. Starly is admittedly a bit derpy and isn't much to look at, but its evolutions do all the heavy lifting it couldn't. Staravia is perhaps the best middle evolution of the birds. It looks distinct from both forms on either side but still feels like the perfect connection point between the two.

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Staraptor enhances all of Staravia's best qualities and adds a dose of threat to things. It's a bird dripping with character and attitude, balancing the white face with the gray body and giving just a little dash of color on the top of the head to round things out.

2 Rookidee/Corvisquire/Corviknight

When Corviknight was first revealed, it was love at first sight for many. This fully armored bird with glowing red eyes looked like an absolute killing machine. It's totally unique compared to the other birds and even got its own Gigantamax form to really kick ass.

Rookidee and Corvisquire build up to it pretty well. It would've been nice if some blue was retained in Corviknight's design, but the all-black works just as well for the threatening aura this Pokemon exudes. It even has a perfectly designed shiny form, flipping the black-knight design out for pure white, like something out of Arthurian legend.

1 Fletchling/Fletchinder/Talonflame

Talonflame is perhaps the perfect bird Pokemon. The only one of these birds to ever see use in the competitive battling scene, Talonflame is a brilliant distillation of everything that makes bird Pokemon great. It has such a wonderful presence with its wide-spread wings, streamlined body, and characterful face.

The balance of color is incredible. The orange back and wings contrast with the pale blue underside, including a bunch of spots to give the eye plenty to look at. The face, beak, and back don't overshadow it, going for a cool black with yellow highlights, tipping everything off.

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