Legendary birds

The legendary birds (Japanese: のポケモン legendary bird Pokémon), also known as the winged mirages (Japanese: の phantom wings), are a Legendary trio consisting of , , and . In the Crown Tundra, their Galarian forms are also known as the legendary wings (Japanese: の legendary wings).
Being the first Legendary trio, the Kantonian legendary birds set the standards for future trios; that is, they all share similar attributes and—in the case of most trios—are considered equal among themselves. Additionally, they share a secondary type, , and an Ability, . Due to its role in The Power of One and the , is often viewed as the leader of the trio.
In The Crown Tundra, each of the legendary birds received a Galarian form. They all still share the secondary type, , but they each now have different Abilities, and their respective primary types have changed.
==Terminology==
===English===
, , and are often collectively described as "legendary bird Pokémon" in their Pokédex entries. Uniquely, in Pokémon Red, Moltres is instead described as simply a "legendary bird",Moltres Pokédex entry: "Known as the legendary bird of fire. Every flap of its wings creates a dazzling flash of flames." (Pokémon Red) but when the same entry was reused in later games this was changed to "legendary bird Pokémon".Moltres Pokédex entry: "It is said to be the legendary bird Pokémon of fire. Every flap of its wings creates a dazzling flare of flames." (Pokémon LeafGreen and X) The term "legendary bird Pokémon" has also been used by characters in the core series games.Professor Oak: "I've heard that there have been sightings of very rare Pokémon. The legendary bird Pokémon: ARTICUNO, ZAPDOS, and MOLTRES!" ()Bird Keeper Vance (): "ARTICUNO, ZAPDOS, and MOLTRES are the three legendary bird Pokémon. I heard there are other legendary birds, though." ()
In , Peony refers to them as "legendary birds", although his Legendary Clue 3 refers to them as the "winged mirages". In , they are referred to as the "legendary birds". In the Nintendo Power guidebook Pokémon Gold and Silver: Complete Pokédex, they are referred to as the "Legendary Birds".Pokémon Gold and Silver: Complete Pokédex p. 82 — "Many more Pokémon are unavailable in , including the one-of-a-kind Legendary Birds , , and ."
In and , Donald on refers to the legendary birds as the winged mirages (Japanese: の mirage wings)."Have you heard the legend of the winged mirages?" "Well, the winged mirages are the legendary bird Pokémon. There are three of them: , , and ."
===Japanese===
In Japanese, several core series Pokédex entries refer to the trio as のポケモン (legendary bird Pokémon). In particular, the Japanese terms のポケモン (Legendary Pokémon) or ポケモン (Legend Pokémon) were used in multiple Pokédex entries but translated as "legendary bird Pokémon" in English. This applies to Articuno in Pokémon X, Zapdos in Pokémon Yellow, Let's Go, Pikachu!, Let's Go, Eevee!, and Shield, and Moltres in Pokémon Silver and SoulSilver. 
Similarly, other variations were also in Japanese Pokédex entries but translated as "legendary bird Pokémon" in English. でんせつの れいとうポケモン (Legendary Freezing Pokémon) refers to Articuno in Pokémon Blue and LeafGreen, while ひのとりでんせつ (Firebird of Legend) refers to Moltres in Pokémon Blue, Pokémon LeafGreen, and X.
==History==
According to notes found in the , the legendary birds were first discovered by and recorded by the Pokémon Research Team."There's an e-mail message. … … … There are three legendary bird POKéMON. They are ARTICUNO, ZAPDOS, and MOLTRES. Their whereabouts are unknown. We plan to explore the cavern close to CERULEAN. From: POKéMON RESEARCH TEAM…" () Blaine and Mr. Fuji also recorded notes and sightings of the winged mirages.
In Galar's Crown Tundra, the original legendary birds were thought to periodically travel there, but it is eventually discovered that the trio of birds seen there were in reality, Galarian variants of the original trio, that travelled all over the world but annually flew back to the Crown Tundra's Dyna Tree to feed on its and even fight between themselves to have the Berries for themselves. Not much is known about the relation between the Galarian and Kantonian birds, but their Pokédex entries imply that the Galarian ones were either the birds' original appearances or that they are unrelated entirely.
===Pokémon movies===
In The Power of One, states that Articuno and Moltres's combined powers of ice and fire are the source and cradle of the oceans, and that Zapdos's electric energy creates the currents and streams, which is why the three ancient creatures are closely bound to the guardian of the ocean, . It is also the only one capable of stopping the trio's conflict, which causes great natural disaster all over the planet.
==Similar movesets==
The following are legendary birds' level-up movesets from .
 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	
Moves in bold are . Moves in italics do no damage.	Moves in bold are . Moves in italics do no damage.	Moves in bold are . Moves in italics do no damage.	Moves in bold are . Moves in italics do no damage.	Moves in bold are . Moves in italics do no damage.	Moves in bold are . Moves in italics do no damage.	Moves in bold are . Moves in italics do no damage.
==Base stat comparison==
===Kantonian forms===
===Galarian forms===
==In the core series games==
===Pokémon Red, Blue and Yellow===
In Generation I, the legendary birds are scattered around the Kanto region in different locations according to their type. Articuno is deep within the Seafoam Islands, Zapdos is in the abandoned Power Plant on , and Moltres is in .
Articuno battle.png|Articuno
Zapdos battle.png|Zapdos
Moltres battle.png|Moltres
===Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen===
In , the legendary birds retain their placement from Generation I, with the exception of Moltres, which has been moved to Mt. Ember in the Sevii Islands from Victory Road.
Articuno Seafoam Islands FRLG.png|Articuno
Zapdos Power Plant FRLG.png|Zapdos
Moltres Mt Ember FRLG.png|Moltres
===Pokémon Emerald===
While it is impossible to capture any of the birds in , if one challenges Brandon for the Gold Brave Symbol, he has them in his possession.
===Pokémon Platinum===
While it is impossible to capture the legendary birds in , they can be found roaming the Sinnoh region in . The player may encounter them after visiting Pal Park and then speaking to Professor Oak in Eterna City.
===Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver===
The legendary birds appear once more in in the same locations as before, except for Moltres, who has moved to Mt. Silver Cave. Due to the Power Plant no longer being abandoned, Zapdos is found outside the Power Plant and will only appear once all 16 Badges are acquired.
===Pokémon X and Y===
In , one bird roams around Kalos while the rest are absent. The bird that appears depends on what first partner Pokémon is chosen at the beginning of the game: Articuno will roam if players choose , Zapdos will roam if is chosen, and Moltres will roam if is chosen. It appears on random routes after the player beats the Pokémon League and cannot be battled, but once it is found ten times, it retreats to the Sea Spirit's Den where it can be battled.
===Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon===
In , all three birds can be found in the Ultra Space Wilds by following a red Ultra Wormhole to the Cliff World during the Ultra Warp Ride minigame.
===Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!===
In Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, the three legendary birds appear in the same capacity they do in the Generation I games. Unlike most Pokémon in the game, the player must defeat them in a timed before getting the chance to catch them.
PE Articuno scene.png|Articuno
PE Zapdos scene.png|Zapdos
PE Moltres scene.png|Moltres 
===Pokémon Sword and Shield===
In , the three legendary birds found in the Crown Tundra all have Galarian forms with different types and different . Articuno is a instead of an with the Ability , Zapdos is a instead of an with the Ability , and Moltres is a instead of a with the Ability . Unlike their Kantonian equivalents, each one also has a signature move, and each of these signature moves has a name that evokes their Kantonian counterparts' types.
The Kantonian counterparts of the legendary birds can also be encountered and captured in Dynamax Adventures. The Galarian legendary birds can be encountered at Dyna Tree Hill. After a cutscene occurs and A Legendary Tree of a Legendary Three! starts, the birds will scatter all across Galar. Galarian Articuno can be found in Crown Tundra and will battle the player after testing them with an illusion. Galarian Zapdos can be found in the Wild Area where the player must catch up to Zapdos. Finally, Galarian Moltres can be found at the Isle of Armor where the player needs to stand in front of Moltres while it circles around the area in order to battle it.
The forms of all three have similar coloring to the standard coloring of their Kantonian forms.
Galarian Legendary birds.png| Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres
===Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl===
In Pokémon Shining Pearl, the Kantonian legendary birds can be encountered at Ramanas Park. They are located in the Kanto Room which is unlocked after capturing the legendary giants. 3 Kanto Slates are needed to unlock them as only one legendary bird can be encountered at a time. Catching all three birds is required to obtain the Squall Slate and catch ; this is the first time that the trio is linked to Lugia within the core series.
The legendary birds are unobtainable in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and must be traded or transferred to the game in order to complete the National Pokédex. Their Galarian forms can't be transferred to either version.
===Pokémon Scarlet and Violet===
In The Indigo Disk DLC, the legendary birds can be obtained via treats from Snacksworth, which are each given after completing 10 solo Blueberry Quests. Articuno can be found in Glaseado Mountain, Zapdos in South Province (Area One), and Moltres in Asado Desert. Their Galarian forms are unobtainable, but present, and can be transferred to these games.
Articuno SV.png|Articuno
Zapdos SV.png|Zapdos
Moltres SV.png|Moltres
==In the side series games==
===Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness===
Greevil's team includes versions of all three birds.
==In the spin-off games==
===Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team and Blue Rescue Team/Rescue Team DX===
In Red Rescue Team and Blue Rescue Team and their remake, Rescue Team DX, each of them guard a dungeon: Zapdos has Mt. Thunder, Moltres has Mt. Blaze, and Articuno has Frosty Forest. Each appear on the last floor of their respective upper dungeon sections as bosses, and cannot be recruited until the credits roll. Once all three have been recruited, and Pitfall Valley and Stormy Sea have been cleared, they can talk to and go to their Friend Area, Legendary Island, which will unlock access to Silver Trench, the domain of , who is often viewed as the leader of the legendary birds .
===Pokémon Rumble===
In Pokémon Rumble, each bird serves as the S-rank boss of a specific stage in Normal Mode: Articuno has , Moltres has Fiery Furnace, and Zapdos has Eternal Tower.
===Pokémon Battle Trozei===
All three birds have a chance to appear on Stage 5 of the Mountain of Order. Only Articuno is initially available as a boss; however, if the player manages to defeat it in one attack, they then get the chance to fight Zapdos. This also applies to beating Zapdos flawlessly, where Moltres can be fought immediately afterward.
===Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon===
The legendary birds can be obtained after reaching Platinum Rank in Super Mystery Dungeon, and are challenged consecutively—once one dungeon is beat and the player has connected with the Legendary, they get access to the next, and so on. Articuno is encountered at Blue Point on the Grass Continent, while Moltres is battled at Red Point and Zapdos at Yellow Point, both on the Air Continent. Lugia, often viewed as their leader, is again fought after the legendary birds, in Sea Shrine.
===Pokémon Masters EX===
Both the Kantonian and Galarian legendary birds are obtainable through Master Fair sync pair scouts, forming sync pairs with the of Kanto and Galar, respectively.
|}
======
In Pokémon UNITE, only and are seen. Zapdos makes more appearances overall than Articuno.
Zapdos is an objective Pokémon on Remoat Stadium and Mer Stadium, both times appearing in the Pit at the very center of the Central Area. 
In , which takes place in Mer Stadium, both Zapdos and Articuno appear as objective Pokémon. Zapdos appears just below the center of the Bottom Path, and Articuno appears above the center of the Top Path. Both of these Pokémon are catchable, and after being caught they can temporarily be swapped to and used by the player.
In Panic Parade, Zapdos is the boss of Wave 10, which appears on the Intermediate, Expert, and Extreme difficulties. A horde of appear alongside it on the outer lanes.
In , which takes place in Shivre City, Articuno is the objective Pokémon. It appears in the Central Area.Unite website news
In , Articuno is an objective Pokémon. It appears in the Central Area Unite website news
==In animation==
===Pokémon the Series===
========
Moltres was the first legendary bird to appear, debuting in All Fired Up!. When stole the flame of Moltres meant to be used during the opening ceremony of the Indigo Plateau Conference, Moltres itself emerged from the flame and sent the trio blasting off.
========
In Moving Pictures, Todd revealed that he was trying to get a picture of Articuno. He succeeded in doing so in Freeze Frame upon encountering one on Snowtop Mountain.
In As Clear as Crystal, a Zapdos appeared at a lake in Johto where a special underwater crystal helps recharge Pokémon. After the crystal had been from Team Rocket, who had attempted to steal it, a group of Electric Pokémon recharged the crystal enough to recharge Zapdos, which then used its own electricity to fully recharge the crystal.
====The Power of One====
The legendary birds appeared in The Power of One, where they were central to the movie's plot. In it, they were described as the titans of , , and , guardians over Fire, Ice, and Lightning Islands. They were sought after by a collector, Lawrence III, who intended to use them to draw out .
Lawrence III succeeded in capturing Moltres first, using strange, electrified rings to contain it, rather than a Poké Ball. He then subsequently kept it on his ship as he hunted out Zapdos, who used Moltres's absence from Fire Island as a signal that it would be able to expand its territory. Shortly after, and discovered this to be the case. Lawrence III captures Zapdos as well, drawing the group in as well, due to their boat's similar size to the birds. The group escaped, and, using their Pokémon, managed to free Zapdos and Moltres. The legendary birds have been infuriated, however, and began fighting, destroying Lawrence III's airship just as he attempted to capture Articuno. The three continued their fight outside, and finally, Lugia revealed itself.
The three birds teamed up to take Lugia down, but it recovered and retured to the surface. As Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres continued to fight, Ash was tasked to bring the treasures from their respective islands to Shamouti Island's shrine in order to help Lugia to quell the fighting and prevent the destruction of the world. Though he almost didn't make it, Ash managed to do so, and the birds made peace, returning to their islands.
====Pokémon Chronicles====
Moltres played a major role in The Search for the Legend. While arriving on One Island, Ritchie met a man named , who had seen Moltres as a child and had arrived to fulfill his long-held promise to battle it on Mt. Magma. After he and Ritchie had stopped Butch and Cassidy from capturing Moltres, Silver started the battle he had been waiting to have for years, but the match was interrupted when the volcano started to erupt.
========
A Zapdos was seen around Sinnoh in Doc Brock! and Dealing With a Fierce Double Ditto Drama!.
========
In A Legendary Photo Op!, was revealed to have photographed Articuno and Zapdos, and succeeded also doing so with Moltres at Mt. Molteau by the end of the episode. Ash's also evolved into while fighting Moltres to protect its Trainer.
In An Electrifying Rage!, a Zapdos was agitated by Team Rocket attempting to capture it. Ash's newly evolved briefly fought against it before Team Rocket was defeated. The other two birds also appeared in the episode in a fantasy.
========
Goh has battled with all three Kantonian legendary birds. In A Crackling Raid Battle!, he battled Zapdos with the help of Ash and Team Rocket in a failed attempt to capture it; in Advice to Goh!, Ash, , and Goh encountered and fought a Moltres; and finally, in Battling in the Freezing Raid!, Ash, Goh, Gary, and Horace faced an Articuno in a at the Seafoam Islands.
===Pokémon Horizons: The Series===
A Moltres belonging to Lucius first appeared in Charge! Galar Mine!. In the following episode, it agreed to come with Liko.
===Pokémon Origins===
The legendary birds appeared in File 4: Charizard, where caught them with Ultra Balls.
==In the manga==
===Pokémon Adventures===
========
The legendary birds were sought by Team Rocket, following their failure to control . Articuno was caught at Seafoam Islands, Zapdos was caught at the Power Plant, and Moltres was caught at Indigo Plateau. They were then placed under the control of Team Rocket's three Commanders; Koga, Lt. Surge, and Sabrina, respectively, who used them against , , and at Silph Co., using the power of their respective Gym Badges to force them to do their bidding. During the battle, they were accidentally fused together into a single being called the . The combination Pokémon was defeated by the Pokédex holders' first partner Pokémon, causing it to split up again and freeing the legendary birds.
========
During the years following their escape, Green caught the legendary birds in order to help her overcome her . She used them during the climax of the arc to fight against at Ilex Forest while they were under the Masked Man's control. Following this arc, it's unknown whether she them or put them in her Box.
========
In this arc, Green revealed that she had first visited the Sevii Islands years before Red and Blue in order to catch Moltres on Mt. Ember.
========
A Galarian , and appeared in PASS36. Hop, Bede, and Marnie sought them out due to them having been in contact with the Rusted Sword and Rusted Shield, which had gone missing following the first showdown with .
===Pokémon Pocket Monsters===
Articuno appeared in Will You Risk Your Life To Play The Magic Game?!. It was caught by using a Master Ball in The Legendary Pokémon Appears!!.
Zapdos appeared in Regain the Deserted Power Plant!. Another one appeared in PMDP11.
Moltres appeared in The Legendary Moltres Appears!!.
All of the legendary birds appeared in Get Lugia!.
===Magical Pokémon Journey===
Only Articuno has appeared in Magical Pokémon Journey, specifically in The Legendary Articuno!.
===Pokémon Zensho===
All of the legendary birds appeared as a silhouette in Saffron City.
In Cinnabar Island, helped Blaine to catch Articuno at Seafoam Islands.
===Movie adaptations===
The legendary birds appeared in .
===Pokémon Battrio: Aim to be Battrio Master!===
Kanto Nankai used the legendary birds during his match against Ryū Tendō in ABM01.
==Trivia==
* In the localized versions of Generation I games, a in states: "The 3 legendary Pokémon are all birds of prey." However, in the Japanese dialogue, he simply says that they are three birds.
* In Generation I, the legendary birds all had different base stat totals—Articuno's was 485, Zapdos's was 490, and Moltres's was 495. Since Generation II, when the split occurred, all three legendary birds have had an equal base stat total of 580.
* In the English dub of The Power of One, these Pokémon are referred to as "titans".
** In The Official Pokémon Encyclopedia, they are referred to as the Titan trio.
* Although legendary Pokémon are said to be incapable of breeding, Pokémon Snap shows all three birds being born from eggs.
* The last part of each of the members' names is a number in the —one (Articuno), two (Zapdos), and three (Moltres)—and it reflects their National Pokédex order.
* Starting with , they are the only Legendary trio where all three members are either stationary or as wild Pokémon in the various games they appear in. In comparison, the lake guardians have one of their trio who roams, while of the Legendary beasts roams in , but is stationary in , as well as in .
* Since there were only four tracks of battle music in the Generation I games (wild, Trainer, Gym Leader/Elite Four, and Champion), normal wild battle music is played when the legendary birds are encountered. In , a special remix of the normal wild battle theme is used for the legendary birds and the Legendary beasts when encountered. However, the legendary birds have never had a battle theme composed specifically for them, unlike other Legendary trios.
** In The Crown Tundra, their Galarian counterparts get their own battle theme.
* The of the legendary birds in their regional forms are colored to match the normal coloration of the Kantonian ones.
* All of the legendary birds are capable of learning naturally; however, from to , they were able to learn this move at different levels.
* Excluding , Moltres is the only one of the trio to change location, and it does so twice.
* The legendary birds can be caught in the most games of all Legendary Pokémon, as they can be caught in 21 core series games in Japan, 20 internationally, 15 in Korea, and 12 in Hong Kong and Taiwan, as of August 4, 2024.
* Even though the Galarian birds are classified as Galarian Forms, according to the lore, they travel all over the world and only visit Galar's Crown Tundra once in a year.
* Kantonian Zapdos is the only one of the trio not to have a double weakness to (or, for that matter, any double weakness).
** Kantonian Zapdos is also the only one of the trio to have a weakness to , though Moltres was weak to Ice as well in Generation I.
** Galarian Zapdos is the only one of the trio not to have a weakness to .
* The legendary birds are the only Legendary Pokémon to have regional forms.
* The Pokédex entries for the legendary birds imply that their similarities to the Kantonian legendary birds could be a coincidence, and that they might actually be completely different Pokémon that were given the same names based on their physical appearance. However, they are still categorized as the same species.
* The Galarian legendary birds are the only regional forms available in that are unable to have the Paldean origin mark.
==In other languages==
Legendary birds	
Winged mirages
==References==
Battle CD 42: "Articuno, Zapdos, & Moltres Side A | The dream team of the legendary birds!" (Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness)
Peony: "Looks like you've reported all there is to report on Legendary Clue 3 and the legendary birds!" (Pokémon Sword and Shield)
Legendary Clue 3: "When the sun reaches its zenith, it shines directly down upon a great tree with leaves that seem to burn. It is there that the legendary wings come to roost." (Pokémon Sword and Shield)
 Pokédex entries:
* Articuno: "Articuno is a legendary bird Pokémon that can control ice."
* Zapdos: "Zapdos is a legendary bird Pokémon that has the ability to control electricity."
* Moltres: "Moltres is a legendary bird Pokémon that has the ability to control fire."
==Related articles==
* 
* 
* 
* Regional form
Category:Groups of Legendary and Mythical Pokémon
de:Legendäre Vogel-Pokémon
es:Aves legendarias
fr:Oiseaux légendaires
it:Uccelli leggendari
ja:伝説の鳥ポケモン
zh:传说的鸟宝可梦