The Galarian regional variants of the Legendary Bird trio – Articuno, Moltres, and Zapdos – are three of the hardest Pokémon to catch inPokémon GO. Naturally, this makes them some of the most coveted additions to any Trainer’s collection, and they’re about to get even more desirable as their Shiny variants are finally making theirPokémon GOdebut during the Galarian Expedition event.
As well as being difficult to find on the map, the Galarian Legendary Birds also have incredibly low catch rates. Top all of this off with sky-high flee rates, and chances are you’ll barely be able to land one Poké Ball on them before they run away. Whether you’ve caught all three Legendaries or you’ve yet to find a single one, the arrival of their Shiny forms provides another incentive to pop a Daily Adventure Incense and go bird-watching.
How To Find Shiny Galarian Birds In Pokémon GO
Make The Most Of Your Daily Adventure Incense
The only way to encounter the Galarian Legendary Birds in Pokémon GO is touse a Daily Adventure Incense. This can be found on the right-hand side of the overworld map screen. Daily Adventure Incense will remain active for 15 minutes and can only be used once per day, so make sure you time your usage wisely. The best time to use it would be when you’re going to be on the move for at least 15 minutes, such as a commute to work or a walk around the neighbourhood.
Although Daily Adventure Incense only lasts for 15 minutes, you can actuallyextend thisif you have anOrigin Forme Dialgathat knows the attack Roar Of Time. This attack doubles as an Adventure Effect outside of battle that can pause the timer of items like Incense for up to two hours, as long as you have enough Candy and Stardust.
Once you’veconsumed your Daily Adventure Incense, it’s time to go out exploring. Based on my own experience of using Daily Adventure Incense,you’ll get the best results by walking as far as possible without stopping. Just like regular Incense, you won’t get many spawns at all if you remain stationary. Try and plan a route that lets you walk in a straight line so you’ll cover as much ground as possible without going back on yourself.
ensure you’re paying attention to the spawns that appear on the map while using Daily Adventure Incense, as you don’t want to walk straight past a Galarian Legendary Bird by accident!
As for the Shiny variants of the Galarian Legendary Birds, they’ll be making theirPokémon GOdebut during the Galarian Expedition event onFriday, June 22, 2025, at 10 AM local time. Any Galarian Legendary Bird you encounter after this time has the potential to be Shiny, although thechances of finding Shiny Pokémonin general are very low. You’ll know if a Galarian Bird is Shiny as soon as you enter the catch screen, as a shiny symbol will appear next to its name and their color schemes will be different.
How To Catch Shiny Galarian Birds In Pokémon GO
Use Golden Razz Berries & Land Excellent Throws
Finding a Galarian Bird is just half of the battle, as you’ll then need to figure out how to catch it.If you’re lucky enough to encounter a Shiny Galarian Bird, the good news is that they will not flee from the catch screen.This means you can throw as many Poké Balls as you want in an attempt to catch your Galarian Bird, without worrying about them running away like the non-Shiny variants always do.
However, with such low catch rates, it’s highly likely that you’ll run out of Poké Balls before you successfully catch them. In this case, you’ll have to run away and forfeit the encounter. To increase your odds of capturing a Galarian Bird, throw Ultra Balls and remember touse Golden Razz BerriesorSilver Pinap Berriesbefore launching them. Landing anExcellent Curveball Throwwill also boost your chances of catching it.
Excellent Curveball Throws are tricky to pull off, so if you’re struggling to do that, focus on landing Great Curveball Throws instead. These are slightly easier to achieve and will still give you a boosted catch rate. Anything is better than missing the catch ring completely!
Unless you’re incredibly lucky, the only way you’re going to be able to catch a Galarian Legendary Bird is touse a Master Ball. These are rare Poké Balls that offer a guaranteed catch of any Pokémon, but they can only be unlocked by completing long-winded Special Research or Masterwork Research quests. There have only been a few opportunities to get a Master Ball inPokémon GOso far, and if you missed out on claiming those, there’s no way to go back and get them now.
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Fortunately, there will be another opportunity to get a Master Ball during the Galarian Expedition event, where you can purchase a ticket for the Masterwork Research: Master Ball quest from the in-game Shop. This will cost $7.99 (or the equivalent in your local currency) and will reward you with a single Master Ball when completed. Be aware that Masterwork Research quests are intended to be completed over many weeks, so it won’t be an instant reward.
What Do The Shiny Galarian Birds Look Like?
Back To Their Original Kanto Color Schemes
While the standard Galarian Legendary Birds feature drastically different designs and color schemes from the original trio that appeared in the Kanto region, the Shiny variants adopt the same color scheme as their OG counterparts. This meansShiny Galarian Articuno gets an icy blue makeover, Shiny Galarian Moltres is fiery orange, and Shiny Galarian Zapdos gets an electric yellow color scheme.
you’re able to see the comparisons between the Shiny and non-Shiny Galarian Legendary Birds in the image gallery above. Encountering any version of these three rare Pokémon is going to be an exciting moment, but finding a Shiny variant will no doubt be top of anyPokémon GOplayer’s dream moments. I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed for a Shiny Galarian Articuno encounter to go with my regular one.
